Where The Heart Is
by AlphaOmegaPsi
Summary: So say Roxas doesn't fuse with Sora. Say, instead, that he accompanied him on his journey through the worlds. Say also that he found out that he might have feelings for his other half. Soroku
1. Prologue: Awakening

AN: Okay, I admit it: I'm weak. I thought of this story a few days ago, and I meant to save it for when school started. But I just couldn't. It was too tempting an idea. I should say that this is going to be a nice, long story. Every chapter is going to be a different world. Except for Atlantica. There is going to be NO Atlantica, because that is a pussy world in KHII.

I hope you guys like this story as much as I like the idea. I worked really hard on this, even though it's just the prologue. The actual first chapter might not be for a while because I still have stuff to do and I never really intended to post this now. I hope you understand. Rest assured, once school starts I will work on it steadily.

Disclaimer: I don't own it

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"Let's meet again, in the next life." Roxas nodded. Unable to think of anything profound to say, he simply said the first thing he could think of:

"Yeah; I'll be waiting." The chuckle that escaped Axel's throat as the tendrils of dark closed around him was sad, and it didn't go without affecting him even though in all sense it shouldn't.

"Silly," the redhead said lowly, so quiet it was almost drowned out by the rushing of darkness the Nobody was using to escape. "Just because _you _have a next life…" He trailed off and disappeared into the darkness he had summoned, leaving Roxas alone in the small, dark room.

The blonde looked around nervously, spotting the door on the other side of the room. He hurried to it and found himself in a mercifully light room. He breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall to catch his breath. He had never been a fan of darkness, of being alone, even in his Nobody days. Admittedly, he couldn't remember much about that time, but he remembered enough to know that it was always dark and cold. Even Axel, his best friend, had never done much to soothe the natural soul-sucking blackness of that world.

Roxas took a deep breath and opened his eyes, not remembering ever closing them. The room he was in was bright, just like he'd noticed before. But it was no less foreboding than any of the other rooms in that creepy mansion.

Several tanks of unknown use lined the wall, one of them even blocking the way into a room so brightly lit he couldn't see what was inside. They were shaped vaguely like eggs. Roxas wondered what could have been inside them as he slowly made his way along the wall. He stopped at two that harbored figures he recognized.

"Donald…Goofy…" He stared in awe at the two he had seen before, in his supposed memories, but had never really met. Both were frozen in a position of sleep, a look of utter peace upon their faces. It was surreal, staring at them like this, and he couldn't help but envy them a little bit. They probably had no worries at all in this world, being completely oblivious to the world around them. Roxas would give anything for that; he could literally feel himself shaking with the thought of what was about to happen.

He spotted a door at the end of a short hallway, but it might as well have been a mile long for how much he wanted to go through it. He had a feeling that was where his "goal" lay; or rather, the goal everyone else had set for him. He wasn't keen on the idea of disappearing forever, and no matter what Namine told him he knew that was what was about to happen. Whoever this Sora was, he had no desire to become him. And he absolutely refused to believe that at one point he was a part of him. No matter what anyone told him, he couldn't imagine ever being anyone but himself.

Roxas cast a sort of longing glance back in the direction he came. He wondered if anyone would stop him, if he tried to run now. Namine said that it was his destiny to join with Sora, so there was a good chance someone would try to make him so what he dreaded. Those guys that had captured Namine seemed to want him to join with Sora, and he had no doubt one of them would chase him if he ran. And he didn't want to live out the rest of his life in hiding.

He took a deep breath as he stared at the painfully normal-looking door. Somehow, he expected the door to something so life-altering to be a little more…memorable. But it was so horribly plain that it was maddening. The irrational idea of destroying it entered his mind, but he banished it. This whole situation was messing with his head, and he couldn't say with any certainty that he wasn't going nuts. If there was any chance of that, he wanted to postpone the madness as much as possible.

Roxas gulped in air like water as he made his slow way down the endless hallway. The door slid upward as he approached, making him jump. He peered through cautiously to the other end, but all he could see was pure blackness with a small spot of light at the very end. He shuddered and backed up a step. He couldn't go in there; he just couldn't.

He hugged himself tightly as he tried to keep from looking into the dark room again. He didn't want to do this, and he hated the dark. If these people wanted him to join with Sora so badly, they should have made it somewhere well-lit. He wasn't going to do it now; he could just wait here until someone decided to come looking for him. If anyone came looking for him…

It was depressing to think that there was probably nobody who would come looking for him. Nobody in Twilight Town seemed to be able to see him anymore, and Namine had been captured by the guy wrapped in red and the one in the black cloak. They might come after him, but he was pretty sure he didn't want to have to face the kind of motivation they would have in store for him.

Groaning, Roxas held out his hands and summoned the two Keyblades he had used to fight Axel. They emitted a faint glow that did little to lessen the darkness as he inched forward slowly, but their presence was comforting. Even though he knew there was no real danger, he felt better when he was on his guard.

The room he emerged into was filled with light like the one Roxas had just left, for which Roxas was grateful. There was one large pod in the center of the room, instead of several along the wall. Roxas knew Sora was just inside, though he couldn't see into it like the others. It was sealed tightly shut. The Keyblades disappeared as he stared at the containment chamber, waiting for something to happen.

"At last, the Keyblade's chosen one." Roxas whirled around and found the man in red that had taken Namine, standing only a few feet away from him. He scowled at the remark, sure the man was trying to make fun of him.

"Who are you talking to?" he growled. "Me? Or Sora?"

"To half of Sora, of course," the man answered shortly. "You reside in darkness. What I need is someone who can move about the realm of light and destroy Organization XIII." Roxas shivered at the thought that he would reside in darkness, and a cold anger washed over him. This man, whoever he was, didn't know a thing about him. All he wanted was Sora, and he didn't care if Roxas was sacrificed for it.

"Why? Who are you?" He demanded. If he was going to go down, he was going with all the information he could get. He couldn't help but think that this man owed him for the life he was about to take. A name was a small price to pay.

"I am a servant of the world." The man laughed. Roxas wanted to hit him, for laughing at such a time. "And if I'm a servant, you should consider yourself a tool, at best." Roxas stared at the man, anger replaced by shock for a second before it returned full force. He was making fun of him!

"Was that…what that supposed to be a joke?" Every fibre of his being shook with anger, and his Keyblades formed unbidden in his hand, responding to their master's emotions. "'Cause I'm not laughing!" He rushed forward towards the man, who seemed disinclined to move despite the anger of the boy in front of him. He sliced at him, so angry and desperate to teach him a lesson. But instead of the satisfying thump of a body, the high-pitched sound of reforming data rang in his ears. Roxas straightened, the shock apparent on his face as he saw the unharmed man.

"My apologies," the man said, turning towards him. He didn't sound remorseful at all. "This is only a data-based projection." The anger swelled in Roxas again, this time at the unfairness of it all. This man wanted to steal his life away from him, and he couldn't be allowed one hit? It bubbled up from his throat like bile until he had to let it out as a scream, and then began hacking away at the man-or, rather, the projection. He knew it was futile, and he knew he was only hurting himself, but he couldn't help it. He had so much anger, so much hate built up that he felt if he didn't let it out somehow he would explode. With every blow to that damned projection, that high-pitched scrambling data sounded harshly on his ears. That just made him angrier, and he continued his mad slashing until the projection finally disappeared.

Roxas slumped, breathing hard. He was glad to be rid of that guy, even if it was only a projection. No;_ especially _since it was only a projection. If he couldn't hurt the guy, it was better not to have him around. He could figure this stuff out on his own, without the help of whoever that bastard was.

He heard the sound of scrambling data once more and straightened, whirling around. The projection had reformed itself, closer to the pod than before. It raised its hand and beckoned to him.

"Come over here," it ordered, still all business despite the burning glare it was receiving. Roxas ground his teeth together angrily at just the sight of it.

"I hate you so much…" he growled. He wasn't exaggerating a bit. This man-even just the projection of this man-deserved every fibre of hate he had in his body. He was playing with people's lives; namely, his. Maybe he thought he could get away with it, but Roxas would not go without a fight.

"You should share some of that hatred with Sora. He's far too nice for his own good." The man's tone was light and humorous. He was making fun of him again, over something that was decidedly unfunny.

"No!" Roxas cried loudly, scaring even himself by the ferocity put into just that one word. "My heart belongs to me!" He sliced at the projection again, and this time it disappeared on the first time. The capsule in the center of the room began to glow and lines split down the sides where it would open. Roxas back up a few feet to avoid being hit as the pieces fell with the gentleness of flower blossoms and the figure inside was revealed.

Inside, a boy that was about his own age floated on seemingly nothing, waves of data flowing behind him. His hair was spiky and brown, which made Roxas wonder if Nobody's were supposed to look nothing like the people they once were. He certainly didn't, if he could remember himself correctly. He had been expecting a sort of mirror-image of himself, despite the dreams, but this boy could have been a stranger for how much they looked alike. He had to correct himself on that; technically, Sora was a stranger to him.

The Keyblades disappeared again as he stared at Sora's sleeping, serene face. He bit his lip as sadness surfaced inside of him. This was really it; he would join with Sora and cease to exist as Roxas. And there would be nobody to remember him in this world. The most he would be was Sora's Nobody, and then he would be barely a whisper exchanged in passing. He would be nothing anymore; even those he called friends completely forsaking him.

Roxas sucked in air through his clenched teeth. He couldn't think about that now. Now was the time to focus on what to do; how he was supposed to fuse with Sora. No matter what he did, he would be forgotten. And even if he ran now, that man was certain to come after him very quickly. It probably wouldn't be a projection the next time, and, since the adrenaline had faded, he wasn't so sure he could take him anymore. Especially now; now, he just felt tired.

There was a piece of the pod that had fallen directly in front of him, like a ramp leading up to the figure inside. Roxas made his way slowly up, keeping a wary eye out for anything that might aide him. When he was standing in front of Sora, he stopped. He was nervous about the whole thing as it was, but what if it didn't work? What if Sora never woke up and Roxas couldn't join with him? The man said it himself, he couldn't use Roxas to defeat Organization XIII. So what would they do if they couldn't have the one they needed?

Roxas reached out a hand tentatively, hovering it just above Sora's bobbing shoulder. He noticed he was shaking a little, but whether it was from the residual effects of his adrenaline rush or from his nervousness now, he couldn't honestly say.

"Sora?" He said uncertainly, touching only the very tips of his fingers to the clothed shoulder. The waved of data behind the brunette ceased to function, much to his surprise, and Sora's feet touched the ground for a second before he slumped. Instinctually, Roxas reached out to grab him and hoist him upwards so that his head rested on the blonde's shoulder and he had a good grip around Sora's waist.

Roxas soon found that the boy was slow to waking, as it took several minutes of sleepy moans and sighs that were almost yawns before the eyes were fluttering open and taking in their surroundings. Roxas was shocked to find that Sora's eyes were the same deep blue that his were. He had always loved the shade of his eyes, because it was such a pure, true blue. He hadn't thought anyone would ever have the same eyes. Though, it was probably silly to be so surprised about something like that when referring to someone whom he supposedly used to be.

Sora's eyes traveled to his neck, at eye level, and then met with his own, widening inquisitively. He pushed himself out of Roxas' embrace, to stand beside him, but kept one hand on his shoulder for balance. Still the questioning glance remained on him.

"Hello…" Sora said uncertainly. Roxas only nodded, feeling awkward. He never thought he would have to deal with this; he was under the impression he would have fused with the boy by now. But apparently, it didn't seem to be working out very well.

"Where am I?" Sora asked lightly, looking around. Roxas didn't think he could explain it very well, so he simply shrugged. Saying he was "In the old mansion" might not harbor any results at all. If anything would, leaving this mansion would be the best course of action. Sora removed his hand and fixed Roxas with a strange look.

"Can you speak?" He said, frowning. Roxas barked out a small laugh unintentionally, startling both Sora and himself.

"Y-yeah," he said uncertainly. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but when Sora asked if he could speak it made him really wonder if he could. He would hate that to be a side effect of Sora awakening; that he couldn't speak anymore. It felt like a horrible handicap to have. "Um…I'm Roxas. And you're Sora, aren't you?" Sora nodded, silently staring at Roxas until he shifted his feet uncomfortably.

"What?" He asked, slightly annoyed. Sora shook his head slowly.

"Nothing, just…you look a little familiar. Have we met before?" With only a second's pause, Roxas shook his head.

"No, we haven't. But…" He held out his hand to Sora awkwardly. "I think we could be good friends if you give me a chance." Sora stared at his hand for a few seconds before a grin broke out on his face. He shook Roxas' proffered hand eagerly.

"Definitely," he said brightly. Roxas smiled.


	2. Twilight Town I Part 1

AN: I worked hard on this, and I decided fuck waiting for school. I want people to see the fruits of my labor now. I should mention that this chapter was originally about 10 pages longer. I split it up because it was just way too long. As it is now...it's about 15 pages. I know, it's still pretty long. I hope that makes whoever is reading this story happy. Most chapters will probably be at least 10 pages throughout the entire story. I want this one to be epic, and so I'll spend as much time on it as possible.

However, this may also result in erratic updates. I can't promise to stick to a deadline yet. I'll try to figure one up soon, but don't hold your breath for a new chapter anytime soon. Anyway, thanks to my reviewers and watchers, and enjoy this, the official first chapter of Where The Heart Is.

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

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Sora groggily wandered around the fairly large, nearly empty room, rubbing his eyes continuously with both hands like a little kid. Roxas just watched him from his spot near the pod, wondering just what the "Great Keyblade Master" was going to do next. If he was perfectly honest, the boy didn't look like anything special.

The brunette turned back towards him.

"Where did you say we were again, Roxas?" The blonde fought the urge to roll his eyes, reminding himself that anyone waking up from a nearly year-long sleep would obviously have a little adjusting to do-much longer than anyone who simply went to sleep for a night.

"I didn't," Roxas said quietly. "It's complicated…but we should probably get out of here don't you think?" Now that he had found Sora and awakened him, though with different results than he was expecting, he was more than ready to get out of that creepy old mansion and out into the daylight; considering, of course, that it was still daytime outside.

"Why?" Sora said, blinking at him. "I kinda like it here. It's cozy and sort of soothing." Roxas shivered, deciding that "cozy" and "soothing" were definitely not words that described the old mansion. It was old, and creepy, and frankly it could fall apart at any time. The structure had to have had its share of termites and other corrosive factors over the years it had been abandoned. And while that wasn't his worst fear, it was definitely one to consider. He did not want to die crushed under a building, especially before he'd had a chance to truly live. He had been given a second chance, somehow, and he wouldn't waste it.

"Oh, Jiminy!" Roxas frowned at the other boy, but his face smoothed when he noticed the source of his outcry: There was a small cricket dressed in a minute tailcoat suit, tiny top hat, and miniscule umbrella now on his shoulder, looking just as sleepy as his perch. Roxas descended from the pod to get a closer look at Jiminy Cricket, a being he knew only through the memories given to him by Sora.

"What happened?" The cricket yawned. "Was I asleep?" He stretched on the brunette's shoulder and caught sight of Roxas as he approached; cocking his head curiously at the new person he had never seen before.

"Hello," he said warily. "Sora, do you know this person?"

"Oh…sorry, Jiminy. This is my new friend, Roxas. Roxas, this is Jiminy Cricket. He keeps track of our journal." He frowned. "Speaking of, Jiminy…"

"Sora!" Both boys and cricket looked up as two figures entered the white room. Roxas recognized them as the ones he had seen outside sleeping in the smaller pods; Donald and Goofy, Sora's two friends that he traveled from world to world with. Feeling shy at the approaching figures, despite the fact that he knew who they were, he took a small step backward. It took all of his self-control not to bolt, but he couldn't now. There was no way to leave this world, and living in it was out of the question. He didn't have the means to support himself very well, and since he'd found out his life was only a sham created by a computer and run by that guy in red…well, it sort of killed any type of joy at living in Twilight Town. He felt sure that he could create the same friends, enemies, and alliances if he spent enough time in the town, but he found that he didn't want to exert that effort to live in just one place for the rest of his life.

He watched the three friends dance as they were reunited after their long nap and smiled sadly. He couldn't say that he didn't wish he was in that circle; that he was simply another friend that had woken from a long sleep and was reunited once more with people he knew so well. But no; to them, he was a stranger. They would most likely accept him to travel with, especially since he could use the Keyblade. But building a relationship with them-becoming a friend that they were proud and happy to have around-that would take time. It would take a long time, and he accepted that, even if it was a bittersweet sort of reality. And if he didn't endure this…well, he didn't exactly have a choice. He had to stick with his heart, no matter what.

"Hey, uh, Sora…did ya know there's a boy standin' behind ya?" Roxas tensed at the moment of acknowledgement. It was Goofy who had pointed this out to Donald and Sora, who seemed for the moment to have forgotten about him. He didn't feel sad that the brunette chose Donald and Goofy over him. After all, they had been through hell and back together if the memories were correct. But he did feel the loneliness well up inside of him at the thought, once again, that these people didn't know him.

The blonde took a few steps forward, smiling and waving nervously, to join their circle. But even within the folds, he felt distant. Like their physical presence was just too much and it was pushing him away despite his efforts to belong. It was suffocating. Unconsciously, he took a half-step back.

"Uhm…I'm Roxas," he said lamely, when he thought that Sora probably wasn't going to introduce him. "You're…Donald and Goofy, right?" Both dog and duck shared a look before Donald squinted at him suspiciously.

"How'd you know our names, if we didn't know yours?" Roxas shrugged awkwardly. Something kept him from telling them who he really was. Maybe it was inability to truly explain, knowing so little about the situation himself; or maybe it was that nagging feeling that if he told him who he was, they wouldn't let him come with him; would leave him to rot in this desolate place while his heart sailed far away forever.

"Aw, come on guys, give him a break." Sora's arm slid over his shoulders, jolting him out of his melancholy thoughts. "We were asleep for a while, I think. And we are pretty famous. I mean, we did save all the worlds and everything…" His arm left Roxas and he threaded his fingers together behind his head, a dreamy smile adorning his face. A smile tugged at Roxas' lips, seeing that. He had seen that look before, in countless memories in the form of dreams. It was like his trademark pose or something, and maybe he thought it looked cool; Roxas thought it just made him look goofy.

Donald still looked suspicious, but didn't say anything, just crossed his arms and turned his back on the blonde. Roxas didn't mind; Donald had always been the stubborn one of the party, if the memories were correct. So he didn't mind if it would take a little more than a name to earn the duck's trust. Goofy, however, seemed to accept him right away, flashing him a grin.

"Hey, Jiminy," Sora said, craning his neck to look at the small cricket still on his shoulder. "Does your journal say anything? Maybe we'll have an idea of where we stand if we read it." The cricket nodded his agreement and pulled the tiny journal from seemingly nowhere. He opened it and a tiny frown appeared on his face.

"How strange," he said, flicking through the pages. "It only says one thing: 'Thank Namine'." The four looked at each other questioningly, but they all shook their head. None of them, it seemed, knew who Namine was.

Roxas, meanwhile, was trying to keep the recognition from his face. He didn't want to be associated with Namine in case they found out who she was and made the connection that he was a Nobody. Luckily for him, nobody seemed to be paying him any attention.

"Some journal that is," Donald said condescendingly, tapping his foot impatiently. Obviously, the duck was not very good at not knowing things. He seemed to be an instant gratification kind of being instead, wanting to know everything possible about every aspect of his life right when he needed it. That was a difficult quality to have, in a close friend you would trust your life with. Roxas wondered how Sora did it.

"Well, we'd better just find out where we are the old-fashioned way," the cricket said, tucking his tiny journal away. He grasped onto Sora's collar so he wouldn't fall just as the brunette lurched forward towards the dark space that led out of the desolate place. Roxas wondered how he could do it; walk through darkness unflinchingly. But he didn't have time to really think about it, as the others were leaving without him. He jogged to catch up, following closely behind and managing to hold in his whimpers of fear.

--

Roxas had never thought fresh air could taste so sweet. Escaping from that old, decrepit mansion was like finally breathing when he didn't know he'd been holding his breath. It was like the weight just glided off his shoulders, and the horrible feelings of loneliness dissipated into the air to float among the atoms. Oh, they were still there, of course; they would never really be gone. But for now, they were far away where they wouldn't bother him, and he could frolic without worry of being crushed.

He breathed in the deep, sweet smell of earth and flowers surrounding the once-groomed courtyard of the mansion. For a moment, he could imagine this place being new and sturdy; used to house some rich family long ago when Twilight Town was still being built. The pillars reconstructed themselves in his mind, reaching up high and supporting stone bushes with stone flowers that were pretty to look at, if nothing else. The scaffolding on the building was new, and the brick was fresh; still bright red and it wouldn't crumble even if you scratched at it. The hedges were trimmed and neat and were just tall enough that he couldn't properly see the land beyond. He would have to leave the gates to see it, but there was a strong debate in his mind over whether or not that was even worth it. The land beyond couldn't possibly be as beautiful as this place.

Roxas felt a hand on his shoulder and was jolted out of his fantasy, his eyes flying open. A cursory glance revealed that this place wasn't the paradise he'd seen in his head; it was simply the same old run-down abandoned mansion he'd seen a thousand times before. It was as old as it had ever been, and would remain that way until someone got around to destroying it. It would never be beautiful again, because it was too much trouble for anyone to bother.

"You okay, Roxas?" Sora said from beside him. Roxas nodded, his gaze fixed above the gate instead of on the brunette talking to him.

"I'm fine," he said lowly, blinking his way out of the trancelike state he'd found himself in. He forced a smile onto his face as he fought to keep his gaze from drifting once more.

"Shouldn't we get out of here?" Roxas said amusedly. "I'm sure you've gotta be annoyed by those clothes by now." Sora flushed, muttering something about 'being a healthy young man' and 'growing is natural' or some such stuff. Roxas didn't catch most of it, because he had already started walking away.

Donald and Goofy were out in front of the gate, staring around in nooks and crannies for anything they might find useful. Roxas would have warned them that Twilight Town wasn't much for treasure-especially after his and Seifer's gang got a hold of it-but he remained silent, choosing instead to feign ignorance of the town he spent half a year of his fake life in.

"There are some woods back here," Sora said thoughtfully, moving to the very edge. He peered into the earthy darkness warily. "It doesn't look too big. Shouldn't take us too long to travel through." Roxas wasn't nervous about this kind of darkness. This was natural darkness, created by shielding of nature. Inside the building was cold and lifeless and dank. This darkness breathed, and he along with it, until they matched in rhythm. It was a beautiful sort of darkness, once he had visited time and time again on days he didn't feel like hanging out with his friends.

A small, sad sigh escaped from his nose, unnoticed by his three companions, who had already started into the wood. He followed them slowly, hoping against hope that they could get where they needed to be quickly, and get out of this damned town. He had had enough of it; too much, if he were truly honest. He just wanted to go, to get out. Especially before the Guy in Red or the one in the Organization coat realized what had happened and tried to make him fuse with Sora by force. He wouldn't give up his newfound freedom. Not for anyone; especially people he barely knew. He would, however, stay with his heart, because that's what he wanted to do. And if they had a problem with that…well, he would fight for all he was worth before he was imprisoned by anyone.

Passing through the large crack that led to the town made Roxas stop and look around at the crumbling stone hole. He remember when this had happened; or at least, the fabricated memory he had been given. When he was little, the tram had malfunctioned and fallen off the track, crashing into the wall and creating this passageway. The townspeople were going to fix it, but when they found the wood and the old mansion, they decided to just leave it as it was as a historic monument. There were several town meetings, he'd heard, about simply building a proper archway there. But nobody had ever come to a conclusion about it, so it simply stayed like that. Of course, he knew now that that never really happened, or at least he hadn't been there when it did. He wondered if it was the guy in red's doing, just so he would have a way to get to Sora.

The town was completely empty as he walked silently about a foot behind Sora, Donald, and Goofy. The three were whispering among themselves animatedly; arguing, it looked like. Roxas couldn't hear what they were saying, but he was willing to guess it was about him. Namely, what to do with him. He didn't have to worry about Sora abandoning him, and Goofy might be on his side, but Donald was most certainly against him joining them. It was obvious the duck didn't trust him, and rightfully so. After all, he was just a stranger to them, and the only ties he could even claim were being Sora's Nobody. But he couldn't tell them that; it could easily lessen his chances. But somehow, he had to convince them to take him with them. It was his purpose, to fight alongside his other half. Even a Nobody needed something to live for.

"Hey, what's this place?" Roxas looked up as he realized just where they were: They were in the alleyway near the Secret Place that he and his friends had hung out in so many times. Or, technically, not really his friends; Hayner, Pence, and Olette the data projections used to distract him. Who knew if those three even existed? There was a good chance they were all three made up. Either way, he didn't want to go back there. With all his heart he didn't want to go back in that room.

"Wait," he said, grabbing Sora's elbow before he pushed aside the tattered sheet hanging across the entrance. The three stopped. Sora looked at him inquisitively.

"What's wrong, Roxas?" He said, frowning.

"I just…I have a bad feeling about this place. What if someone's back there or something?" Sora laughed.

"You're scared of a couple people? Come on, Roxas, even if they try to attack us or something I'm sure we can take them. I'm not as weak as I look." He pulled his arm gently out of Roxas' grasp before the blonde could say that wasn't exactly what he meant, and pushed the sheet aside, proceeding into the room with Donald and Goofy flanking him. Roxas hesitated for a few seconds, unsure if he should follow or just wait. Sighing, he followed his other half into the small room.

It was just as it had always looked. It was messy, with various posters the old dart board hanging up in the corner. The only light came from the roof that wasn't really a roof…rather several planks put together precariously between the buildings to provide some source of shelter even though they had never been able to some here when it rained. Even the few sheets they had managed to drape over the top provided very little cover. A smile tugged on his lips as he remembered trying to get those things up, when he had to stand on Hayner's shoulders. He had fallen, of course, and had fractured his wrist. But they all had a good laugh over it anyway. They shouldn't have been so stupid, and should have just invested in a stepstool.

It hurt to think that memories like that were fabricated and completely false.

To his surprise, Hayner, Pence and Olette did in fact exist. They were sitting in their usual spots, looking more bored than Roxas had ever remembered them being. Surprisingly, the room didn't feel empty without his presence. Maybe that was because it was full with Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Maybe it was because it had already forgotten he had ever been here. Or maybe it was just waiting for him to sit down again, in the place he usually occupied when talking with his friends. He glanced at it now: The old radiator. It was hooked up to the ground, rusted and old. It didn't work anymore, so Roxas had found it a perfect place to sit. But as he looked at it, and then looked at his former friends sitting so close together now, he realized that it was far away from them. At least, far enough that he could easily be removed from a conversation. It made him feel lonely all over again.

Hayner looked up, an annoyed frown on his face as Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked around curiously. Roxas avoided his gaze and just stared at a Struggle poster on the wall, reading the rules over and over again.

"What do you want?" He said rudely, not even bothering to ask names or offer his. Roxas had to fight a smile; it was the same Hayner he remembered. Just…this Hayner didn't know him. He wondered if they could even see him. They certainly couldn't before. But then they were only data, weren't they? Or was that him? He couldn't honestly tell who was fake at that point.

"Uh…nothing," Sora said timidly. "Just wondering what was back here." The brunette made him laugh inside. All his talk about not being as weak as he looked; about fighting anyone who tried to hurt them; it was obviously all talk. Sora was most definitely not as macho as he tried to make himself out to be if he was scared of Hayner. Granted, Hayner was a little scary, but not enough to scare the Keyblade Master. Or, at least, Roxas didn't think so.

"Now you know. This is our spot."

"Umm…" Roxas glanced toward his former friends and was surprised to find Pence was staring at him with a frown on his face. His breath caught in his throat; they couldn't remember him, could they? Pence turned to Sora and Roxas breathed out, almost a sigh. "You're new around here, right? I'm Pence."

"Hayner," the irate blonde said grudgingly. "Nice to meet you, but we got stuff to do, so catch ya later." Hayner left the room grumbling. Roxas watched him go; almost hoping he would look up so he could see if his former best friend recognized him at all. But he didn't, just continued out past the sheet even though it was obvious he didn't have anything to do or anywhere to go. Unless, of course, he was going to antagonize Seifer; besides hanging out with his friends, that seemed to be one of his favorite pastimes. But that was Hayner; he was stubborn and would always be stubborn.

"My name's Olette. Hey, did you finish up the summer homework yet? Independent Studies are the worst, huh?" Roxas wrenched his gaze from the entrance to rest on Olette, who had begun speaking.

"Homework?" Sora said questioningly. He looked at Donald and Goofy, who simply shook their heads. Of course they wouldn't know about it; it wasn't as if they went to school at Twilight High like he and his friends had. He remembered doing that bothersome homework; technically, it had been yesterday. It felt like an eternity, though, since so much had happened between then and now.

"Hey, what are your names?" Pence asked. Roxas was wondering when they were going to ask that. He loved his friends, but they could be a little thick sometimes.

"Oh, sorry. We're Sora, Donald, and Goofy." Goofy glanced back towards him. "And the quiet one back there is Roxas, a new friend of ours." Roxas noticed that Olette and Pence's gaze rested on his a little longer, as if they were trying to figure out where they knew him. Hope flashed through him as he willed them to remember him; he desperately wanted to see the recognition break out on their faces; see their friendly smiles and the welcome back into their fold. Even more than accompanying Sora, he wanted this to happen. But they turned from him back to Sora, and he realized that, even though he had hoped, he hadn't really believed they would recognize him.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy," Olette said slowly, "We just met someone who was looking for you." Roxas didn't expect her to mention him. After all, who would be looking for him? He shouldn't even exist right now. But he couldn't say it didn't hurt, that they didn't seem to want to acknowledge him.

"He sure seemed in a big hurry," Pence continued. "He had a black coat on so I couldn't see his face, but he had these big round ears." Roxas frowned behind the other three as they tried to remember who they knew with big round ears. The black coat reminded him off the Organization coats. But, as far as he knew, there was nobody in the Organization with big round ears. The three gasped.

"The King!" Donald said excitedly.

"Where did you see him?" Sora demanded of the two in front of him.

"At the station," Pence said warily, leaning back a little from the brunette.

"Well, we'd better get back to that homework," Olette said, grabbing Pence by the arm and pulling him along. "See you four later." When they were gone, Sora Donald and Goofy huddled together excitedly.

"Oh boy! The King's trying to find us!" Donald said, practically jumping in place. Whoever this King was that they were talking about, they seemed really excited. Just because he was half of Sora didn't mean he knew everything the brunette knew. He certainly didn't know who this King was that they were so excited about.

"Yeah, let's get to the station!" Sora said, practically racing out the doorway. Roxas cast one more longing glance around the room. He didn't know when he would see this place again, but he hoped it was soon. As much as he wanted to leave this place, he wanted to come back as well. He sighed deeply before jogging out the door after his other half.

When they reached the sandlot, Roxas grimaced in annoyance to find that Seifer, Rai, and Fuu were very much real and very much standing only a few feet away from them coolly. Where Vivi was, he doubted anyone cared. The little mage had always been sort of a background attachment to Seifer's gang. And while nobody doubted he could be powerful, with his natural magic abilities, there was always the question in everyone's mind whether Seifer was intentionally keeping him down to protect his position. It wasn't completely far-fetched; the bully had done worse to make himself look better. All for the sake of the town, of course, was the lie he told to everyone. But really, he was just a selfish kid who couldn't stand anyone being better than him. Which explained why he antagonized Hayner so much. It was sad, because if this dumb rivalry wasn't between those two…well, it didn't matter. He didn't know them anymore, and had no say.

"Hey, you, where'd you come from?" Of course, Seifer said that. He was always putting on that tough-guy act, even around people he didn't know. If Roxas wasn't completely sure Sora could take care of himself in a real fight, he might have gotten worried. But despite his worried nature, he had seen in his dreams just how good a fighter the boy really was. He was no pushover to anyone, especially someone as normal as Seifer.

"Uhh… " Nevertheless, nothing could be said for his conversational skills. The kid was about as literate as a slice of bleu cheese. It was just a good thing the fate of the worlds hadn't depended on his brains. Though, if he thought about it, that part might have gone to him. If that was true, then he was sorry for making the Keyblade Master dumber, but he was at least glad he was cleverer than him. And if it wasn't true…well, it was just a good thing he was here. Sora could be the fighting power; he would be the brains in the background. Donald and Goofy didn't look very bright either, and he wondered just exactly how they had done what they did.

"You here to pick a fight or something?" That was just like the bully; always fighting, never talking. He was smart, that was no question. His GPA definitely confirmed that. But for some reason, he liked to pick random fights. Nothing to land him in jail, but several times he had been held by the police for a few days. Someday, that kid was going to do something bad. Roxas probably wouldn't be around to see it, but he just hoped it didn't involve his friends. Or rather, former friends.

"Fight? We're not here to fight."

"Yeah, you big palooka!" Roxas had to clamp a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. That duck had a lot of fight in him, but he had been right; not very bright. He might want to take a look at his vocabulary, too, because the last time he checked "palooka" wasn't exactly a very threatening word. But then again, who was he to criticize when all he did was stand in the background? Not much at all, really, and he thought it would probably be best to keep his mouth shut until they left this godforsaken town.

"Okay, smartalecks…Time to teach you how to behave in my town. Bring it!" Seifer took a defensive stance, and his "friends" copied him. Truthfully, they were more like his followers than anything. Rai he didn't blame, because he was too stupid to do anything but follow. And of course he would choose someone who claimed to be the strongest person in Twilight Town to follow. That was the nature of people like him, and it made sense. Fuu, however, did not make any sense at all. The girl didn't talk much, but everyone knew she was smart; even smarter than Seifer, actually. And just because she didn't say much didn't mean she didn't think a lot. The reason she hung around Seifer had eluded him for a long time. He had wanted to ask, but he doubted she would ever tell him. She would probably just give him that cold, steady gaze of apathy that always seemed present on her face and walk away like she always did. She was definitely predictable, in that sense, if in no other way.

"Man, what a jerk," Sora said, grimacing. He shook his head at the other bully. "No way, we're not fighting you. We're in a hurry."

"Yeah!" Donald threw in. "We're trying to find the station, so just keep out of our way if you know what's good for ya!" Both ran off across the sandlot, Goofy following and Roxas sort of trailing behind.

"Hey, you!" Roxas stopped and looked around. Seifer was looking at him with a curious frown. His fighting stance was gone and he was just standing with his arms crossed, staring at him. "You look familiar. Have you been around here before?" Roxas blinked at him, surprised. First those looks from his former friends and now Seifer? Wasn't he supposed to be completely gone? What was with the people here? They shouldn't remember him at all. But, he couldn't deny that the thought of him still being present in some small way made him smile.

"Hey, what are you smiling about?" Rai said, cracking his knuckles menacingly. Apparently, he thought Roxas was disrespecting Seifer or some other nonsense. He always was too quick to jump into a fight, a lot like his boss. He didn't seem to recognize Roxas at all, but he was an idiot and couldn't be expected to remember his own age. Fuu, however, couldn't have been more obvious. She was staring at him pointedly, though the cold apathy remained on her face. She knew him too, maybe even knew who he was, but she would never say it. Maybe he had simply seen her too many times, but he just knew what that gaze meant. Roxas shook his head amusedly.

"No," he chuckled. "I've never been here before, and you don't know me." He turned to go, but the bully had stepped forward and stopped him with an arm on his shoulder.

"I'm Seifer," he said coolly. "Who are you?" Roxas glanced down at the hand on his shoulder, realizing that besides fighting this was the first physical contact he had ever had with Seifer. He shrugged, effectively dislodging the hand.

"My name's Roxas," he said with a smirk before hurrying after his companions. When he reached the other side of the sandlot, he turned and waved at the people who had antagonized him for as long as he could remember. To his surprise, Seifer waved back. It was strange; he had always been afraid of the bully when he lived in Twilight Town, because then that was the scariest thing he had to deal with. But with his memories of what he did in Organization XIII, and what he'd experienced the last few days with the Dusks and the man in red, suddenly Seifer didn't feel like such a threat. And in fact, it didn't seem like he was. Maybe he was a lot like him: Just a scared kid fighting not to be left behind in a world that was moving way too fast for comfort. Maybe what the other boy had said on the day before he left was true. Maybe they could have been friends, if things hadn't worked out the way they had. But then, wishing things were different never helped anyone. It only convinced people to live in a reality which wasn't true. Personally, Roxas would rather accept his reality than fight to regain one which was now out of his reach. And so, he would accept this reality which had been given to him happily, and not mourn the things which could have been.

Finding Sora and the others wasn't hard; they were wandering around in circles, completely oblivious to where they were going. Roxas desperately wanted to just tell them where to go, but that would most definitely expose him. He tried to sort of walk off in that direction, hoping the others would follow him. But unfortunately, nobody seemed to pay enough attention to him to really follow him. So he gave up and just let them walk around and around until his feet hurt, completely ignoring the one hill they hadn't walked up. They did find it eventually, much to Roxas' joy. But when they started for the door, they found themselves surrounded by Dusks.

Roxas cursed under his breath. He hadn't wanted to reveal himself so soon, but he couldn't stand by and just let the others fight the Dusks. They were still unstable from their long nap, while he was sharp and ready to fight. He had to fight the Dusks, because if they were taken then everything was in vain.

He held out his hands to summon Oathkeeper and Oblivion to his hands. He would have summoned the Kingdom Key, but he knew he held no claim to that one anymore. That was Sora's weapon, while these were his. And that wouldn't change anytime soon, though if he were honest he was glad he had an advantage like having two Keyblades at once.

Sora shot him a look, but he ignored it and simply started to attack the Dusks. Soon the other boy joined him and all four of them were locked in a fierce battle with these creatures that were so sure they could overpower them.

Unfortunately, they were right. Roxas was the only one not weak from sleep, but they couldn't rely on his power alone and he was soon overwhelmed as well. They just kept coming; there was no way to stop them. Roxas didn't know what exactly they would do to them, but he had a hunch they would take them to Xemnas. He was the one who would benefit the most from having the Keyblade Master. And if he could somehow learn to control Roxas again…well, he would be unstoppable. Roxas clenched his eyes shut sorrowfully. Things had just begun; how could they end this way? He hadn't had the chance to live a real life yet. He hadn't been able to even escape this town, to travel to other worlds and meet new people. And now he would be going right back to the place which he hated the most.

It just wasn't fair.

Roxas screwed his eyes shut as a Dusk launched itself at them. He knew he had to raise his Keyblades and defend himself, but his arms wouldn't obey. They felt like lead on the ground, and he was so tired…it would be much easier just to let the damned creatures take them. He knew it was over, because he was their strongest fighter at the moment. And if he was the strongest, well…there was no chance for them.

He waited a few seconds as he waited for the sensation of a small body landing on him and tearing him to shreds. But it never came. He forced his eyes open to slits and was surprised to see a small person in front of them, a clone of the Kingdom Key, only with the colors inverted, in his hand. There were no more Dusks around, and Roxas could only assume he had defeated them. He was wearing an Organization XIII cloak, which was strange because he knew there was nobody that short in the Organization. But the weirdest thing about him was the fact that he had two large, round, black ears sticking up on the top of his head. Donald, Goofy, and Sora gasped.

"Your Majesty?" Donald said tentatively, as if he were afraid simply speaking would make the small figure disappear. Though, the atmosphere certainly didn't suggest anything different. It was thick with concentration and tension. The small figure was barely paying them any heed, simply looking around for any more enemies instead.

"Shhh!" He said, finally turning towards them. "You gotta board the train and leave town. The train knows the way." He pulled a pouch out of his cloak and handed it to Sora. "Here." Roxas peered at the pouch. It looked familiar. He gasped. It was Olette's, the one she had given him to keep all the munny in when they were going to the beach. But it had been stolen, hadn't it? How did this tiny person get it?

The person, a King if the others were telling the truth, turned toward him when he gasped. Their eyes met and for a few seconds time seemed to stop as he looked into beady depths that seemed to know much more than they let on. The features of this "King" were a mouse, but surprisingly regal. The King's mouth fell open, surprised.

"You're not supposed to be here," he whispered. He grabbed Roxas' hand and pulled him aside, holding up his other hand to keep the others from following. They went a short distance away so the others couldn't hear them before the King released him and turned to glare at him.

"Why are you here?" He asked quietly but angrily. "You were supposed to fuse with Sora!" Roxas held up his hands in front of himself defensively, shaken by the venom in his voice.

"I-I tried," he answered timidly. "I didn't know what to do…he just woke up. I had nowhere else to go!"

"You shouldn't even exist! This whole thing is a big mistake…you're more of a liability than an asset, you know. If they get a hold of you…" The mouse laid a hand over his eyes tiredly, a frown creasing his forehead. "Now what am I going to do with you…?"

"If I'm such a bother, than kill me," Roxas said. He tried to put venom in his own voice, tried to sound defiant, but it only came out tired. He realized he didn't want to deal with this. If he wasn't going to be any help-if there were people out there who would be better off if he weren't there-then he would die. There was no point in living if everyone was against you.

The King looked up at him and sighed. The frown was gone from his face.

"Look, Roxas…you're a part of Sora. Roxas isn't supposed to exist. I can't kill you, and I'm not going to, but you need to fuse with Sora whenever there's a chance." He cast a glance back at Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who were talking amongst themselves. "I want you to go with them, okay? Don't ever leave Sora's side. I'll keep searching for a way to fuse you two; just don't start getting used to this life, because it can't last." He stared at him pointedly. "Believe me when I say you're better off being Sora." Roxas nodded slightly, though he didn't really believe that. The King nodded back and raced back into the town. Roxas stared as he left and sighed. So he wouldn't get to live his own life after all. If he thought about it, he hadn't actually expected to. Somewhere, deep down, he had accepted that he was still only a part of Sora. He could never really be Roxas, because Roxas didn't exist.

He made his way back to the others, who were staring after the retreating King longingly. Donald turned to him, a look of annoyance plastered on his face.

"What makes you so special that the King would talk to you and not us?" He asked suspiciously. The other two were staring at him as well, and Roxas found it very unnerving that he had earned their hatred already. After all, he hadn't asked the King to grab him and pull him off. In fact, things would have been better if he hadn't. He was going to stay with Sora no matter what, because if he didn't then he wouldn't know what to do. The King's talk with him had only served to confirm that which he already knew: That there was nobody, in this entire world, who was on his side. He was alone, just like he had been in the Organization. Well, that wasn't entirely true. At least there, he'd had Axel. In his new life, there was nothing but hostility and distrust. And there was no way of knowing if he could change that. He took a deep, calming breath.

"He…wants me to go with you guys. He said we gotta…leave on the train." He didn't know if the others would believe him at all. It would be just his luck that they left him behind despite him saying the King told him to. After all, these people weren't his friends. As much as he remembered them, they weren't his memories. They were Sora's, and he had no right to even have them.

"Well, if the King wants you to come along, then I have no problem with it." Sora grinned and moved next to him, putting an arm around his shoulders companionably.

"Yeah," Goofy agreed, moving to his other side. Roxas was surprised, but if he thought about it, this wasn't really all that shocking. After all, Sora and Goofy were very trusting people. Donald was the suspicious one. Speaking of the duck, he didn't seem to share in their warm feelings of acceptance and turned towards the train station in annoyance. Sora and Goofy released Roxas and followed him, leaving the blonde to trail behind.

The inside of the train station was cool with air conditioning, just like all the other times Roxas had been in here. He sighed, glad to be out of the heat, and leaned against the wall to wait for Sora to buy train tickets.

"Wait up!" Roxas' eyes widened and he straightened up to find his former friends fly past him through the door. They looked like they had run here, and were panting tiredly.

"We came to see you off," Pence said by way of explanation. "It just seemed like something we oughta do." Sora brightened at that, and Roxas felt a sting of hot jealousy travel through him. They didn't remember him; they had come to see off Sora. Bristling indignantly, he made his way discreetly into the train station. He wasn't going to stand around here simply to be ignored. He was tired of it already. He hated being alone; had hated it for as long as he could remember. But one thing he knew for certain was that it was always better to be lonely when you're alone than to be lonely among a crowd of people.

He sat down on a bench on the far side of the station to wait for them to get the tickets. He buried his hands in his hair exasperatedly as he tried desperately to get himself under control. He couldn't believe how horribly lonely it was to be here. To be unwelcome and unremembered; it was a nightmare. How he wished that he had simply become part of Sora. At least that way he wouldn't have to suffer through this.

He looked up as the group of people came through the entrance and sighed. He would have to join them now, or risk being left behind. He recognized the train the minute he came into the room. It was the ghost train he and his friends had looked for. But when he tried to get on it the last time, it disappeared. He feared the same thing would happen this time. That would be his luck, to not be able to get on the train he suspected he was supposed to get on. But he had to try, because it was what he was meant to do. He stood up, took a deep breath to calm himself, and joined their group, sticking as close to the door as possible so there was no chance he wouldn't be getting on.

"Bye, guys," Sora said brightly, waving his hand at the three others. "I hope we meet again soon."

"I'm sure we will," Olette said brightly. "I know that someday you'll come back."

"Yeah," Pence said. "And next time, we'll take you to get ice cream. You've never tasted such great flavors."

Sora chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

Roxas felt the jealousy wash over him again at Sora interacting so casually with his former friends. He wanted so desperately for them to remember him and accept him back. He needed somebody to tell him things were going to be okay. He felt tears prickle at the back of his eyes and decided to get on the train before he really lost it. But just as he stepped over the threshold, a hand grabbing his elbow stopped him.

He looked around and found himself looking at Hayner, who was staring at the ground awkwardly.

"I just…feel like I need to say goodbye to you the most." He looked up and smiled. "So…bye. I guess, come back soon."

A smile broke out on Roxas' face as well. "I will," he promised, pulling his arm gently out of Hayner's grasp and getting on the train. The other blonde gave a small wave.

"See ya…Roxas." And then he was gone. Sora, Donald, and Goofy filed into the train a few moments later and they were off. It wasn't until they were far away from Twilight Town and who knew where that Roxas realized they had never told Hayner his name. A smile crossed his face again and he laid his head back for the rest of the journey, closing his eyes contentedly.


	3. Twilight Town I Part 2

AN: Technically, this is the second part of chapter one. It was over twenty pages long before I split it up. This one is shorter, less than ten pages, since it's only Yen Sid's little castle world. It's technically part of Twilight Town, since they never go back. I mean, you can if you really want to, but in the storyline they never do.

I cut out a few dumb parts in their conversation, simply because I really didn't want to write them. They were stupid. Yen Sid isn't portrayed so well in this chapter, but I'm not changing it because I'm too lazy.

School starts monday, so I'll be officially updating this after this. I cannot promise a weekly update, though. I'll try twice a month, but it will probably be just once a month. We'll see how it goes.

* * *

When they reached their destination, Roxas wasn't sure exactly where they were supposed to be. It looked like an island in the middle of the sky, with an enormous castle in the very center surrounded by bushes and trees. When they stepped off the train, it disappeared promptly.

"There goes our ride," Sora said, giggling nervously. That wasn't exactly helping the uneasy factor as they started forward in the strange place warily. Roxas wanted to summon his Keyblades very badly, as they gave him a sense of security, but he was aware that this would probably bring up questions he wasn't willing to answer at the moment. Especially not in such an unfamiliar and possibly dangerous place. No, he would have to wait for a while; at least until the next battle. He wouldn't be able to handle all the suspicion and he obviously couldn't tell them the truth. So instead, he stuck close to Sora, who made him feel a little safer. After all, he was the Keyblade Master; he would surely protect him.

"Hey, there's someone at the castle door," Sora remarked. Roxas looked up and found him to be right; a large person was looking in a crack of the door, giggling. Definitely suspicious-looking, worth checking out. The others seemed to have the same idea, as they made their way towards the person.

"What's goin' on?" Donald remarked casually. The person giggled again mirthlessly.

"I sent some of my lackeys inside to see if the master of this here tower is as big and tough as they say. Word is, he's a big and powerful sorcerer. Which would make him the perfect bodyguard for me. See, it don't matter how tough he is-once he's a Heartless, he'll do as I say." Roxas frowned at the guy as the others made their respective surprised noises. He didn't sound nearly smart enough to come up with an idea like that. He sounded like a complete idiot, actually. So how was it that he could control the Heartless at all? After all, from his scant knowledge of them, they weren't se easy to bend to your will. So how…

"A Heartless?" Donald exclaimed, destroying his thought process.

"That's right," the idiot continued. They're those things that come outta the darkness in folks' hearts. Why, with all those Heartless at her side, my dear friend Maleficent is gonna conquer everything! And since I got me a debt to pay, I'm goin' 'round to a bunch of different worlds and buildin' an army of Heartless, special for her.

Why am I talkin' to you pipsqueaks anyway? Go on, scram! I'm behind schedule as it is."

"You oughta find somethin' nicer to do," Goofy said from beside Roxas. The blonde had to fight a laugh at the naivety of the dog. In a choice between good and evil, half the world's population would choose evil. Just because somebody thought they shouldn't do evil didn't mean they were going to stop. It was their nature, and they practiced it well. That was just the way it was. But it was funny to watch the good people try to change that, he had to admit.

"Says who?" The gruff meathead turned around, a scowl on his face which promptly turned into an openmouthed look of surprise. If anything, it made him look more stupid.

"AAHH! It's you!"

"Pete!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed in unison. Sora and Roxas gave them a look.

"What are you two nimrods doin' here?"

"What are _you _doing here?" Donald seemed pretty surprised to see the guy, whoever he was. But it wasn't a good surprised; it was definitely an unwelcome one. Roxas could only assume he was an enemy of theirs.

"You know him?" Sora asked, and Roxas could have slapped him. Of course they knew him, that's why they addressed him so familiarly. He had never looked kindly upon rhetorical questions, and this was no exception.

"We sure do," Goofy answered. "Pete's been causin' trouble for ages! His Majesty banished him to another dimension a long time ago. I wonder how he escaped…" Pete laughed, and Roxas wanted to join him, having to clamp a hand over his mouth to hold in his mirth. He had never met anyone denser than these three. Bad guys were never kept locked up for very long. Someone always busted them out, or they formed alliances. Other dimensions weren't prisons, merely holding facilities, and it didn't take much to free someone trapped in one.

"You wanna know how, eh? Well, Maleficent busted me out, that's how!" He laughed again. "And now your world-no, no, no, all the worlds- are gonna belong to yours truly. Cause Maleficent's gonna help me conquer 'em." This time, Roxas couldn't hold it in. Even with both hands clasped over his mouth, a squeak of laughter escaped his lips. Only Goofy was close enough to hear him, though, and all he said was "bless you." Because he had Sora's memories, he of course knew that Maleficent was dead and gone. This idiot-Pete, they had called him-did not know this, it seemed.

"Sorry," Goofy said, not sounding sorry in the least. "But Maleficent can't help ya now."

"Whaddya mean?" Donald snickered behind one feathered hand beside Roxas. Realization dawned slowly on the other dog's face and he growled menacingly.

"So you're the ones that did it!"

"Well…we might have had something to do with it," Sora said coyly. His hands were behind his head casually and he had a huge grin on his face. You almost couldn't tell that he was talking about killing someone, even someone as horrible as Maleficent, with the way he seemed so proud of himself over it. Roxas wondered what that said about himself; that he was supposedly a part of this person. Pete growled again.

"Heartless squad! Round up!" A few shadow Heartless appeared and surrounded them. Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeated them easily without the need for Roxas' help, so he could avoid the awkwardness for a little while longer. When the last of them were gone, Pete looked like he was going to throw a temper tantrum.

"You just wait!" He exclaimed. "Nobody, and I do mean nobody, messes with the mighty Pete." Sora just rolled his eyes.

"So, 'Mighty' Pete," he said condescendingly, almost bored, "Who lives in this castle, anyway?"

"Oh, ya don't know, eh? Well, it's old Yen Sid." He chuckled. "'Course, he's probably a Heartless by now!"

"Master Yen Sid lives here?!" Donald exclaimed excitedly. Leaving the others, he pushed past Pete into the castle. Sora and Goofy shared a look.

"Yen Sid is the King's teacher," Goofy explained.

"Wow, sounds powerful." Sora and Goofy went after Donald, ignoring the way Pete tried to stop them and the comical expression on his face as he found he couldn't. Roxas laughed and went after them, ignored as usual but feeling better about it since he wasn't the only one.

The stairs they had to climb were very strange, often leading to doors that disappeared into nowhere but became a room once they opened them and stepped inside. Every room was, without fail, filled with various Heartless. However, they were all weaklings and were taken care of easily. So Roxas was again able to step back and let the others take care of it. For once, he was happy with his invisibility; if they didn't notice him, they couldn't ask any questions. And if he was lucky, this Yen Sid person might be able to help him convince them to let him go along with them.

The stairs seemed endless, but after a few rooms and battles, they reached the top. An older man wearing a pointy wizard's hat with a long beard was sitting behind a desk in the middle of the room. Donald and Goofy immediately dropped into a bow.

"Master Yen Sid. It's an honor." Roxas fell beside them in a sort of half-bow after deducing that this was obviously a very important person. Sora, however, was not so swift.

"Hey, there," he said casually, as if addressing one of his friends. Roxas fought the urge to groan exasperatedly. How could he have come from this person? How?

"Sora! Show some respect!" Donald looked like Sora had just insulted his mother, which was actually very comical. But Roxas pressed his lips together to hold back his laugh, since now didn't seem to be the time. The wizard didn't seem to be offended by the way he was addressed by Sora, and quickly waved it away.

"So, you are Sora," he said, inclining his head towards the brunette. Sora nodded. "Now then, have you seen the King yet?"

"Yes we did, Master," Goofy said humbly, "But we didn't get a chance to talk to him." Donald nodded his agreement and shot Roxas a glare, the first attention he had paid to the blonde since they had left the old mansion. He winced under the duck's gaze and turned his attention back to the old wizard.

"Yes…the King has been quite busy of late." He shook his head sadly. "Therefore, it would seem that the task of instructing you three falls upon my shoulders. You have a perilous journey ahead of you. You must be well prepared."

"You mean…we have to go on another quest?" He sighed dejectedly, and visibly drooped. "I was looking forward to finding my friend Riku, so we could go back to the islands."

"Yes, I know." The old wizard looked regretful that he had to make Sora do this, but Roxas knew he also knew it was necessary. "However, everything in your journey, Sora, is connected. Whether you will find your way home to the islands... Whether you will return alone or with your friend... And, whether or not the islands will still be there. And the key that connects them all is you, Sora."

"I'm…the Key?" Yen Sid nodded at him. Sora turned to his two other friends and they nodded as well. His gaze didn't even pass over Roxas. The blonde thought it probably wasn't very far-fetched to assume Sora had already forgotten he was there. The wizard waved his hand and a large book appeared on his desk.

"This book contains valuable knowledge you will need for your journey. Study it carefully. Once you have finished, we will speak of the enemies you will surely confront." Sora nodded and began to page through the large tome. Donald and Goofy began to speak animatedly among themselves about something, while Roxas simply stood by the door, which felt like the safest part of the room at the moment. He was quickly becoming used to being ignored by these people, and he found he didn't mind it so much. It was preferable to being scorned, at least, like Donald had done. He also didn't expect Yen Sid to talk to him or even acknowledge his presence, and he didn't blame him for it. He was busy with Sora, the real Keyblade Master. He was just the Keyblade Master's Nobody, what did he matter. The only thing he had going for him was being able to use the Keyblades, and he couldn't even do that very well. So it was okay that he wasn't being spoken to, especially with the King's words still ringing fresh in his ears. Of course this couldn't last. He was still a Nobody, despite what he wanted to believe. He was destined to return to darkness. Or, more realistically, to Sora. Either way, he couldn't stay this way forever. And it was better, if that were true, if he was abused the entire time. At least that way, he wouldn't have anything to miss.

Roxas looked up to see how Sora was coming along and found Yen Sid staring at him unblinkingly. Roxas stared back, at a loss for what to do, but found himself quickly becoming uncomfortable at the unwavering gaze and stared down at the floor. He could still feel the old wizard burning a hole into him with his gaze, though, and bit his lip nervously. He found that this was not the type of attention he wanted, and wished for loneliness if it would keep him from this awkwardness. If the wizard would only talk to him or something, that would be fine. But this staring was so…strange and made him very uneasy. It made his stomach roil, and he slid to the ground, scrunching into a ball to try to calm down. He buried his face in his knees so he wouldn't have to see the old man watching him, and waited to be addressed.

He knew when Sora finished the book, because he finally spoke.

"But wait a sec…how come the Heartless are still running around?"

"Your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness," Yen Sid replied. "Make no mistake about that. However, the Heartless are darkness made real…and darkness lingers yet in every heart. The Heartless are fewer. But while darkness exists in a single heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them." Roxas heard the trio sigh dejectedly. He understood why: That was a difficult thing to accept; that the enemy you were fighting so hard against could probably never be completely defeated. It must have been hard for them.

"Gawrsh, that must mean…if everyone's heart was full of light, them Heartless'd go away." Roxas chuckled into the small crevice of space between his knees and chest, but not loud enough for them to hear him. Goofy was naïve, that was for certain, but it was a good quality on the dog. He was nice, and had been the only one to make an actual effort to befriend Roxas. So he wasn't laughing at him, rather at the idea that everyone's hearts could be full of light. It couldn't be done; humans were evil, and that was that. Even if the majority of them were completely good and pure, there would always be one person who would mess it up for everyone; and one was all it took.

"Now, it is time to speak of the enemies you will encounter." Roxas raised his head to watch as Yen Sid summoned an image of Donald only a few feet from him, in clear view. That image promptly turned into a Heartless, making the real Donald seem very nervous.

"If one such as you, Donald, yields to the darkness in their heart, they too will become a Heartless. But you know this. The Heartless are always lurking and ever seeking to capture new hearts. Never let your guard down! Now then..." He waved his hand, and another image appeared next to the Heartless: A Dusk Nobody, sashaying its hips as it was known to do nearly constantly. Roxas knew it was just an image, but found himself tensing in preparation to fight.

"At times, if someone with a strong heart and will-be they evil or good-becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own." Yen Sid waved his hand again, and the Shadow Heartless disappeared again. Roxas shivered at the imagery: Getting rid of the dark in favor of the Dusk; the fake light itself. There were times that he feared this reality more than any other reality. And if Organization XIII succeeded…it would happen. He would have to choose a side before that happened, though he had doubts that he would be very welcome back in the Organization anymore, even if he did want to betray Sora and the others. And anyway, it didn't feel like home to him; not that it ever had. Like they said, home was where the heart was or something like that. And his heart was with Sora. It was a funny sort of irony, but irony nonetheless.

"An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away," Yen Side continued, cutting through Roxas' thoughts. "A spirit that goes on even as its body fades from existence-for you see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all. Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse-they only pretend to have hearts. You must not be deceived!" He glanced at Roxas as he said this, and the blonde felt like someone had dropped ice into the pit of his stomach. He forgot sometimes, but he _was_ a Nobody. So what Yen Sid was saying was that everything he thought he felt since awakening Sora was a lie. And he couldn't be making it clearer that he wanted him to know this.

"They are nothing more than empty shells," Yen Sid said offhandedly, waving his hand and banishing the image. "They are destined to return to darkness. But…" He waved his hand once more and figure in a black cloak appeared. Roxas visibly winced. It was an Organization XIII member. He knew it wasn't him under that cloak, thankfully, because the person was too tall. He could be talking about just about anyone, or nobody could be under the hood. It didn't matter, because once you saw the coat you knew it was them. Except, of course, for the King…he wasn't in the Organization, was he? No, he couldn't be.

"The beings you see before you now are different. These powerful Nobodies have formed a group called Organization XIII. It commands the lesser Nobodies." Yen Sid shot him a pointed look, and Roxas felt a real thrill of panic go through him. He wouldn't reveal him right here and now, would he? But the others weren't paying attention to him; they were busy glaring at the image, and Yen Sid turned away before they could notice what he was doing. He breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"While Heartless act on instinct, Nobodies function in a higher manner. They can think and plan. And it seems they are working towards a goal. What that goal is, we do not know. The King sensed the danger, and journeyed forth to fight it. He found the dark realm's Keyblade, and with it, closed the door. Now he's traveling from world to world, fighting the Heartless as he seeks the answer to the riddle of the Nobodies and Organization XIII." The figure disappeared into nothing. Roxas kept a close eye on Yen Sid, to see if he was going to reveal who he was, and if he was going to have to make a run for it. Though, if he did have to run, he didn't know where he could go. The train was gone, and this island was floating. There was no way he could escape; he had never felt so trapped.

"Then, I guess we better go find the King first," Sora said, with that determined look in his eyes.

"But where could he be?" There was Donald, the negative one.

"Well, we won't know 'til we look." And Goofy, the optimist. Roxas had trouble figuring out which one was sadder.

"Yeah," Sora continued. "And the King must know where Riku is, 'cause the two of them were together in the realm of darkness when we closed the door. You know, after defeating Ansem."

"So, before you go, you will need more suitable traveling clothes. Those look a bit too small for you." The others laughed while a flush decorated Sora's face. Roxas felt a smirk tug at his mouth. It was funny, but he didn't want to draw unnecessary attention by laughing. Yen Sid pointed at a door.

"Through there, you'll find three good fairies. If you ask, they'll create for you appropriate garments." Goofy and Donald carted the still-blushing Sora into the room, and soon it was just Roxas and Yen Sid in the room. The 'snick' of the door closing sounded for all the world like a gun being cocked, and made Roxas flinch. He chanced a glance up at wizard, who was staring at him again.

"Roxas," he said gently, speaking his name for the first time. "Would you come over here, please?" He sounded a lot kinder speaking to him than he had looked while sending him those looks. Roxas felt like he could trust him somewhat, but that didn't make him let his guard down, nor did it keep his legs from trembling as he stood up and made his way over to the old man's desk.

"Do you know what you are?" Yen Sid asked kindly. Roxas bit his lip. He knew what the wizard was asking him. He knew what he was all right.

"I'm a Nobody," he mumbled, just barely loud enough for Yen Sid to hear. The other man nodded.

"Namely, you are Sora's Nobody." He nodded sagely. "And a former member of Organization XIII, am I correct?" Roxas flinched.

"Please don't tell Sora. If he knows what I am…he'll abandon me somewhere." That was his greatest fear right now; that he would be abandoned in some random world.

"I'm not going to tell him. But Roxas, I'm afraid I must ask you for something." Roxas frowned at the old man. What could he possibly need from him? "I need you to tell me everything you know about Organization XIII." Roxas drew in a sharp breath. He was asking him to betray all those other Nobodies. Even if he felt no kinship with them anymore, something made him hesitate. Was Yen Sid trying to blackmail him? Like, if he didn't tell him the information he wanted to know, he would tell Sora and the others about him being a Nobody?

"If…I don't tell you about them," Roxas asked hesitantly. "Are you going to tell them…what I am?" The wizard shook his head.

"I swear I am not. I simply want you to tell me anything you can that might help us in our fight again the Organization." He sighed. "It would be nice to have some inside information. These people are your enemies now, too." Roxas was still hesitant.

"I…I don't know much," he answered truthfully. "They never told me anything. I was just supposed to fight Heartless and collect the hearts they had stolen. That was all I did, I swear." He was becoming slightly hysteric. Despite Yen Sid's words, he still believed the wizard might reveal him if he didn't give sufficient information. But he really didn't know anything. The wizard shushed him comfortingly.

"It's okay. Your memories were tampered with, so I certainly don't expect you to remember anything big." He laid a hand on his arm. "But Roxas, if you do remember anything, you must tell me or the King or someone else you trust. Believe me when I say any information is valuable, and that you are a large asset to our fight." Roxas laughed at that, remembering the words of the King: _You're more of a liability than an asset._

"The King doesn't seem to think so," he said bitterly. Yen Sid frowned at him questioningly, indicating he should go on. "He thinks I'm a liability, and that in not fusing with Sora I've only caused more problems." Yen Sid shook his head and sighed. "He said I wasn't meant to exist," Roxas continued bitterly.

"The King is still young, despite his wisdom. He has much to learn." He looked into Roxas' eyes. "Listen to me, Roxas: If you weren't meant to exist, you wouldn't exist. Nothing happens without there being a reason for it happening. What that reason is will reveal itself in time. But believe me when I say that there is." Roxas let out a heavy sigh. He couldn't believe that he was valuable just like that after so many people believed in his worthlessness.

"Do you think there's a way to fuse me and Sora?" He asked. "Do I have to stay with him?"

"I can't say for sure," the wizard answered honestly. "There might be, but when it comes time to use it, it will be your choice whether you want to be a part of him or remain your own person. And as for staying with Sora…" he shrugged. "Do you want to?" Roxas nodded. He did want to stay with Sora, but the way Yen Sid put it, it sounded like if he ever wanted to leave, he could. He needed that; that freedom that the Organization had never allowed him. The freedom to make his own decisions without having to worry about consequences was something he had craved all his life as a Nobody. And now that he had it…it felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. He felt really good about what was happening.

"Are you at ease now?" Yen Sid asked. Roxas nodded, a smile spreading across his face.

"I think I'm going to be okay now," he sighed. "Thank you, Master." The old wizard smiled.

"As long as you are not going to freak out anymore, I have something for you." He reached into his robes and pulled out a pulsating green orb. He handed it to Roxas, who took it gingerly and examined it.

"I thought I would give you at least some small advantage," Yen Sid told him. "That orb contains the power of Cure. As long as you hold it, you can heal yourself and your friends. But be careful," he warned. "Don't use it too much, too often. If the orb runs out of power and isn't allowed to recover it, it will begin to feed on your life force. Depending on how much you use it, it could kill you." Roxas stared at the small orb, disbelieving that something that small could be that powerful and dangerous. He gently put it into the side pocket on his cargo pants for safe-keeping and bowed to the wizard.

"Thank you again, Master Yen Sid. You have been very kind to me; much more than I deserve." He straightened up. "Is there anything I can do in return?"

"Just keep thinking about any information you can remember about the Organization." He smiled. "Now, go. There is a gummi ship waiting outside for you, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. I must speak with them privately, and so I would be most grateful if you were to wait for them there." Roxas agreed. After all, it didn't matter if he were still there. The others wouldn't notice him anyway. He bowed to Yen Sid one last time before opening the door and beginning his descent from Yen Sid's castle.


	4. Hollow Bastion I

AN: They're finally moving a little bit. I think the next one will probably by the Land of Dragons. Yes, most likely, because I have plans for Beast's Castle that require them to go to the Land of Dragons first...

I was hoping to finish the next chapter before submitting this, but I got sidetracked by a new story I'm writing. Mostly, I'm writing it to practice my present tense first-and-second person, but it's been occupying my attention for a while.

Hope you enjoy! Leave lovely reviews!

* * *

Roxas couldn't believe his eyes as he stepped out of the large double-door that served as the entrance to Yen Sid's castle. A sleek new Gummi ship, easily twice the size of the one he used to see in his memories, sat heavily on the grass, shining in the eerie light of the sky. The blonde stared at it breathlessly, entranced.

Inside, he was feeling very relaxed and sort of giddy. Both the King and Yen Sid would back him up in his desire to accompany Sora. So even if they didn't want him, he was going along. It was sad, to think he would be in the company of those who didn't want him. But it didn't have to be that way. In time, maybe he could gain their trust and they would come to accept him into their fold. He could only hope.

He looked behind him to peer through the still-open door at the staircase. Sora, Donald, and Goofy probably wouldn't be down for at least another couple of minutes, and he so wanted to explore the Gummi ship by himself. He didn't have any memories of the inside of one, and was desperate to create some of his own. He was too impatient to wait for the others to come back.

There was a panel on the side, which slid open at a simple touch from his hand. He took a hesitant step inside, and then another, his brain almost overloading with the pure joy he felt at just being inside one of these marvelous machines. He couldn't believe he would be traveling to different worlds in one of these. It was just amazing.

He took a few steps inside, finding himself in the main control section, right in the front of the ship. Four seats with straps sat in front of a panel of flashing and blinking buttons and knobs. It looked complicated.

The front window was clear and huge, providing a view of both the front and the sides. Several small screens were set up on the ceiling of the ship, probably to use in battle so they didn't have any blind spots. That was a pretty clever design.

The seats were made of black leather and looked comfortable. He sat in one of the back ones, just to see what it felt like, and sighed in contentment as he sank into about an inch of comfort. He would not mind traveling in these, even if his traveling mates didn't particularly want his company.

All in all, he rather liked the new ship. While it was big, it also seemed cozy; enough, at least, to not make him feel like he'd be disconnected. They might be able to ignore him outside, but while they were in this hulk of metal, the others would have to acknowledge his presence sometimes. He mentally thanked Yen Sid, even though it was impossible for the old wizard to have known this would work in his favor.

"Comfortable?" An irate, scratchy voice sounded behind him. He sat up quickly and nervously began to wring his hands together as Donald fixed him with his duck glare. He giggled nervously.

"Uh, Donald…hey. Where are the others…?"

"Yen Sid is still talking to them. I noticed you weren't around and came down here to make sure you weren't stealing our ship." He took a few menacing steps closer. "Listen, you: Sora and Goofy may be willing to trust you just like that, but I'm not that stupid. You're up to something, and I'm going to find out what." It hurt, to be thought of that way, but Roxas didn't really think things would be any different. Nevertheless, he forced a big smile on his face, trying to look as non-threatening as possible.

"What are you talking about?" He said, trying to keep his voice light and casual. "I'm not up to anything, I just want to be friends. Can't we just get along?" Donald opened his mouth, probably to say something biting and hurtful once more, but was interrupted by Sora jumping into the ship.

"Whoa, it's big!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. "Goofy, come look at how big it is! It's huge; much better than your old one!" Goofy entered behind him, pushing him forward into the cavernous space.

"Gee, d'ya think we'll need all this stuff?" Roxas cracked a real smile at that; leave it to Goofy to worry about having too much space.

"Hey, there's a hallway back here." Roxas sat up in his chair curiously. He hadn't noticed any hallway when he came in here. He watched Sora disappear into a room, and then reappear, a big grin on his face.

"What's in there?" Roxas asked, almost surprised at finding the courage to speak. But he had to now. Sitting in the background all the time would not help convince them that he wasn't a threat. Better to be a little uncomfortable in that sort of situation. To his great relief, Sora turned towards him, still smiling.

"It's a bathroom," he said. "Finally, I won't have to hold it when we're traveling." Roxas' smile widened. Getting excited over a bathroom…well, it was a relief to not have to wait until they got to a world.

"There's another door here," Sora said, turning in the narrow hallway. He peeked in for a second, and then looked out again at his friends. "It's a bedroom with two beds. Guess it's so two people can be on duty at one time, while the other two sleep." Donald and Goofy bobbed their heads in agreement.

"Well, Donald and I can take care of takin' off," Goofy said. "If you and Roxas wanna get a little sleep…ya both look real tired." Now that he mentioned it, Roxas felt exhausted. Just everything that had happened that day-in one day!-had come together to completely wear on his body. A nap sounded great.

"Yeah," Roxas said, standing up from the comfortable chair. "I think I will." He ignored the glare he received from Donald as he walked past, joining Sora near what looked like a big hole in the wall. Sora yawned.

"You may be right," he said sleepily. "Okay, wake us when we get to a world." Roxas followed the sleepy brunette into the room, and each fell onto their respective beds. Roxas kicked off his shoes and curled up, not even bothering to get under the blankets. He didn't have the energy to exert on stuff like that.

However, though he closed his eyes and stayed perfectly still for several minutes, sleep wouldn't come to him. He felt restless, despite his fatigue. While the events through the course of the day had come together to make him tired, they also made him worry. He sat up on his bed, rubbing his eyes sleepily. There was no point.

He glanced over at Sora's bed to find him turned towards the wall, but breathing evenly. He had also lain down above the blankets, but Roxas noticed he was shivering. He tried to ignore it, telling himself it was Sora's own fault he didn't get under the blankets, but couldn't help the feeling of possessiveness that came over him. He sighed at his stupidity and grabbed the blanket from his own bed, draping it across the brunette and tucking it around him. He returned to his own bed, tired but still restless.

"Hey, Roxas?" Roxas jumped at the sleepy voice. The realization that Sora was not as asleep as he had originally thought came as a shock, but the heaviness of his voice assured him that he was close enough to count anyway. He took a deep breath to calm himself down from his scare.

"Yeah? Something wrong?" He stared at Sora, wondering if he hadn't imagined the voice. The boy hadn't moved an inch, just kept breathing evenly in that same way. For several seconds, there was no answer. Roxas figured Sora had just fallen asleep again and lay down on his bed to make another attempt at the same thing. But then he heard Sora's voice again, barely above a mumble:

"How come you can use the Keyblade too?" Roxas felt his blood run cold at the question, and his recently closed eyes flew open. Sora was still lying in the same position as before, hadn't moved an inch. He considered just not answering and letting the other boy fall asleep, but that might seem suspicious. Besides, he had been rehearsing his story in case this question came up, and this was a wonderful opportunity. The other boy would accept whatever he said without question, because he was obviously too tired to argue. Despite this rationalization, however, he was still scared.

"Well, uh…you know, it's not just you who can use the Keyblade. There's different…kinds of Keyblade Masters. Your King can use one, can't he?" Sora _hmm_-ed in agreement, obviously an automatic sound. But Roxas was relieved, because chances were Sora would remember that explanation and not ask questions later. He didn't want to lie when he was supposed to be building a friendship with these people, but the truth would garner worse results. If they knew who he was-_what_ he was-they would never trust him. They would always think of him as someone trying to take them down from the inside, something that was decidedly untrue. All he wanted was to help, and if lying was the only way to achieve that then so be it. He wasn't a great liar, but he could get through this just fine. Everything would be okay, as long as he didn't lose his cool.

Sighing, he closed his eyes once more. It took a long time, but he eventually managed to doze off, fitful half-dreams reaching him and waking him every few minutes. He couldn't remember what he was dreaming about each time he woke up, but he knew it always made him want to cry.

--

Roxas felt hands shaking him and sat up with a start, blinking sleepily. Sora's face loomed near his, and the worried frown on his face was evident.

"You were talking in your sleep," he said. "Something about, 'Don't leave me alone.' Are you okay?" Roxas frowned, trying desperately to remember what he had been dreaming about. But every time he thought he had it, it slipped from his grasp. He just couldn't remember anything. He shrugged helplessly.

"I guess so…I can't remember what I was dreaming about." That feeling of wanting to cry was back, though. He just felt so helpless and alone again. He shook his head to rid himself of it and stood up, desperately rubbing at his eyes to get the sleep out. "Have we arrived somewhere yet?" Sora nodded.

"Yeah, the gummi ship took us to a world. We won't know which it is until we beam down." Roxas nodded absent-mindedly, trying once more to remember what he had been dreaming. Something made him want to remember; made him need to remember what it was. It was like this horrible, unreachable thing, and he thought that if he couldn't remember then something very bad would happen. He barely noticed Sora asking him if he was okay again.

Roxas jumped when he felt arms wrap around him and felt a body pressed against his. He tensed, even when he realized it was Sora. Nobody had ever been this close to him before, not even his former friends from Twilight Town. Even going so far back in his memory to his Organization days, everyone had avoided any physical contact with everyone else. Maybe that was where this irrational aversion came from. He squirmed in the embrace until Sora let go.

"What was that for?" He muttered, trying to lean away from Sora without the brunette noticing. His other half shrugged.

"You just…looked sad. I thought maybe it would help." He shrugged again. "The others are waiting for us. We should go." He exited the sliding door of their room, Roxas trailing behind him. While unwelcome, the embrace had distracted him from the dream, and for that he was grateful. Even if he would never welcome or initiate it.

--

"It's Hollow Bastion!" Sora looked so excited to be back in the town, as were Donald and Goofy. Roxas frowned, allowing himself to fall back behind their group. From what he remembered, Hollow Bastion was bad. It was an evil place. So why did Sora and the others seem so happy to be there?

"Gawrsh, it looks kinda different now."

"I hope Leon and the others are doing okay." Well, it made a little more sense now. He vaguely remembered something about Leon, the scary guy with the gunblade, staying on in Hollow Bastion to fix it up with some other people. They must have succeeded in the time since Sora had left. It still looked like a shithole, but less so. Now it was an organized shithole.

"Uh-oh!" Roxas followed Goofy's gaze and found him staring at two Heartless who quickly disappeared. "Looks like we're gonna have to do some fightin'." Roxas was more than prepared for that. He knew that whatever world they went to, they would have to fight something. Because, from this point on, there was always going to be something that was against them. He could feel it, like an instinct. And it was depressing. He could only hope Sora had heard his explanation when they last slept and accepted it, because he doubted he could lie very effectively to a fully awake Sora, no matter how stupid the other boy was.

Roxas followed the others through the town, staying close to Sora's side. He didn't trust Donald to not do something to him like trip him or make him walk into a wall. He didn't think Goofy would actually do anything to him either, but he figured his best bet was to stick with Sora. After all, he was the closest to the boy by default. If he was only going to forge a friendship with one person, it was going to be with the Keyblade Master. Besides, if he was friends with him, the others wouldn't dare try to get rid of him. They loved the brunette; that much was for certain. They would never do anything to hurt him if it could be avoided.

The part of the town they were in consisted of several booths set up as shops. Apparently, they hadn't gotten around to making real shops yet. Roxas sort of wanted to stop, see what wares they had as opposed to Twilight Town's, but the others didn't pause at any of the booths, and so he had no choice but to continue following, lest he be left behind.

"Uncle Scrooge?" Roxas stopped, noticing Donald was talking to another Duck, this one obviously older, who was standing near a freezer. Sora turned to Goofy, obviously confused.

"Er…who?"

"He's Donald's uncle-a business typhoon!" Goofy looked so excited about it that Roxas wondered if he was close to this…Scrooge. "Before the Heartless showed up, he traveled the worlds on a Gummi ship with the King. He was helpin' to set up a traffic system…"

"A transit system!" Donald interrupted indignantly. Roxas rolled his eyes; same thing, when it came to the Gummi ships. He might as well have just left it alone. But with what little he knew about Donald, he knew the duck liked starting fights. Even if it was his own allies that he was fighting with.

"What's all that racket?" The other duck, Scrooge, who had previously been ignorant to their presence, turned with an ice cream in his hand. "Why, if it wasn't Donald! And Goofy! Hello lads. Aye, you all look hale and hearty." Roxas snickered to himself, noticing he didn't say anything about Sora just standing there. Of course, he didn't say anything about him either, but he was used to that. Sora looked like he was going to cry.

"So do you, Uncle Scrooge."

"Ah, if only that were true…" Scrooge sighed, drooping as much as a duck could without falling to the ground. This wasn't very much, but it got his point across. "I canna seem to recreate my favorite old-time ice cream. I'd make millions if I could just get it right." He took a lick of the ice cream in his hand, dejectedly. He didn't look very hopeful that it would be good. "Terrible!" he exclaimed.

Uncle Scrooge didn't seem to be in much of a mood to entertain company, claiming he was too busy with his ice cream. So the quartet simply left him, continuing on down the stair in a search for people they couldn't be completely certain were still there. Roxas thought they should have asked around, but he followed anyway.

They came down the stairs to a large, open cobblestone place that looked sort of like a small courtyard. Roxas kept his defense up, in case of attack. This was where it would most likely take place, if it was going to. So when the pillar of light appeared right next to him, startling him and prompting him to jump away, his Keyblades appeared instantly in his hand. He heard Sora chuckle at his jumpiness, but chose to ignore it.

"Hey, what's going on?" Donald said. Roxas knew Donald was asking about the pillars of light, and not about him, but he couldn't help the small thrill of fear. If he was going to be questioned by everyone, he would never be able to keep up the lie.

"That's the town's defense mechanism," a distinctly feminine voice said. They looked around and found a small, scantily clad girl on the building next to them, a big smile on her face. Roxas saw a smile break out on Sora's face as well, while he dismissed Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

"Yuffie!" he exclaimed. Roxas recognized her a little. But all he could really remember was that she was a ninja. She waved a little before her attention was distracted.

"Look out!" Roxas cursed himself for dismissing his Keyblades so quickly, and summoned them again, whirling around just in time to see several Dusks surrounding them. He scoffed. With the others in somewhat better form, this would be a piece of cake. Not to mention, the ninja girl was nearby to lend a hand if needed, though she certainly hadn't made any effort to yet.

Roxas had been correct; the battle was immensely easy. They disposed of the Dusks in minutes, and an air of smugness fell about them all like a comforting blanket.

"Hey, you guys!" The ninja girl, Yuffie, jumped down as they were dismissing their weapons. Roxas fought the urge to glare at her for her cowardice, instead opting to stay as silent and invisible as possible. "I see you're still in top form."

"What'd you expect?" Sora beat his chest like a caveman, and Roxas again fought the urge to laugh. He instead distracted himself with staring around at all the pipes and cobblestone. This place would be a construction nightmare in the time it took these pipes to rust; probably about ten years. By that time, they would literally have to tear up the roads to get to the pipe. Probably not the smartest idea to use it in the first place. But he would give them the benefit of the doubt; they might have had nothing else. After all, materials probably weren't exactly abundant.

Roxas was snapped out of his thoughts as everyone else started to run after Yuffie, who had disappeared around the corner. He followed quickly, curious despite himself. He wanted to see if the rest of the town was as boring as this part.

Around the corner was a house, built into the wall. It didn't look very big, but Roxas knew that the inside could easily be huge. They just wouldn't know until they went inside. And really, nothing that happened would surprise him anymore. After everything he had been through in his life, he was sure nothing would ever shock or surprise him anymore.

Yuffie opened the door and led them inside a house which was-surprise, surprise-bigger than it looked from the outside. Roxas noticed that half of the house was actually built deep into the wall and from the outside you would never know it was there. Directly in front of the door was a giant computer with several people surrounding it.

"Meet the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee!" Yuffie said, much louder than was necessary. Three heads looked up from the computer. One was a kind-looking girl who smiled as soon as she caught sight of the quartet-or maybe it was just for the trio-and the others were two men who remained carefully apathetic. One was leaning against the wall in such a cool fashion that Roxas was tempted to knock him over just to wipe the smug smile from his face.

"We missed you," the girl said in a lovely, soft voice. Roxas felt like he'd seen her before, and the others as well, but he couldn't remember where. Most likely, from Sora's memories. But that's where he knew everyone from…

"Well, if you ain't in top shape," the older, blonde man said huffily. A toothpick hung from his lips, most likely to replace a cigarette. He looked like the kind of guy who would smoke.

"I knew it," the cool brunette leaning against the wall said. His face didn't change expression once as he spoke, like it was etched in stone.

"Knew what?" Sora cocked his head confusedly.

"A while back, everyone suddenly remembered you guys, all at the same time." He shrugged like it was no big deal, but Roxas could see it for the major insult that it was. Maybe it wasn't meant to be, but it certainly was.

"You…remembered?" He frowned for a second before shock made itself evident on his face. "Wait! Does that mean you guys forgot about us?!"

"Thanks!" Donald exclaimed indignantly. Roxas stared at the duck, wanting to laugh at the irony. He had been forgotten by just about everyone he could have called his friend, and the duck was mad about being forgotten when they were asleep-when they weren't even around? The world was madness, it was.

"So, Sora, you never introduced your friend." Roxas heard Yuffie say this and looked up to find four pairs of curious eyes on him. Even the brunette seemed a little interested, leaning away from the wall to get a better look at him. He hadn't expected to be acknowledged; he expected to blend into the background. But these people obviously weren't going to uphold the invisible ignoring law. It made him happy, but a little shy. He discreetly inched behind Sora to hide, hoping they would turn to another subject. He wasn't used to this.

The nice-looking girl laughed softly and approached him. He flinched despite her kind eyes, somehow expecting hostility. But he had come to expect that from everyone, whether it was true or not. Better to be alive than regretting later your decision to befriend a possible enemy. She held out her hand to him, and he unconsciously leaned back until he realized she wanted him to shake it. He did so, warily.

"It's okay; don't be scared." She smiled prettily. "My name is Aerith. What's your name?" Roxas bit his lip, trying to decide whether or not to tell her. She didn't seem like an enemy, though, and he thought there was no harm in her knowing his name. After all, she wouldn't recognize him as anything more than Sora's friend.

"I'm Roxas," he mumbled so that only she could hear, flushing as her smile widened.

"It's so nice to meet you Roxas," she whispered. Her voice was so musical that it was as if she was singing the words. He had to admit, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever met. Then again, what did he have to compare her to? Olette and Larxene? No thanks.

Aerith released his hand and laid a hand on the base of his neck to lead him away from the throng of Sora's company.

"Come and meet the others," she said, her expression still so kind and patient that Roxas found he couldn't say no. He introduced himself to the older blonde man, whose name, he found out, was Cid. And the cool brunette was named Leon. Neither of them seemed very nice or patient, but Aerith's presence there was comforting. He was also formally introduced to Yuffie, who introduced herself as the world's greatest ninja. He found the girl to be much too loud, though, and flinched as she got in his face. Aerith quickly released him after that, and he stepped back behind Sora, trying to disappear.

"Aw, you're just a skittish little guy, aren't ya?" Yuffie grinned as Roxas flushed deeper and tried to hide his face in the back of Sora's shirt. With a wink, she turned her attention away from him. Roxas sighed with relief as the eyes left him and conversation continued.

"So where have you guys been all this time?" Yuffie asked.

"We were sleepin'," Goofy said simply.

"Where? In cold storage?" Cid shook his head. Roxas wanted to say 'pretty much', because that was basically the idea behind the pods he had found them in. But he didn't want to draw attention to himself, so he stayed silent. Sora, Donald, and Goofy chuckled sheepishly. Apparently, they understood exactly where they were.

"It doesn't matter," Aerith said, her smile faded down to a slight upturning of the lips. "This is great. Everyone's together again." Sora shifted a little uncomfortably, as if he wanted to say something. Roxas jabbed him in the ribs to get him to just say it.

"So, um…we're trying to find Riku and the King." Sora scratched the back of his neck nervously, as if afraid to ask them what he so obviously wanted to ask. "Have you seen 'em?" Roxas wasn't surprised when the three shook their heads no. Sora deflated visibly, while Donald and Goofy laid a hand on his back comfortingly. Roxas did too, hesitantly, unsure if he had the right to. But when he placed it there, Sora didn't make him remove it. He smiled a little, happy he was able to help even the slightest bit.

"Sorry," Aerith said. And unlike most people who said the word, she seemed perfectly sincere. "But let us know if there's anything we can do to help. Okay?" Sora just nodded until Cid got up from his chair and in his face. He blinked and leaned back from the older blonde man.

"Don't go thankin' us just yet," he said in that gruff voice of his.

"Hollow Bastion's got a problem," Leon said, finally detaching himself from the wall and walking over. He laid a hand on Cid's shoulder, prompting the older man to back up and sit back at the computer. "A big problem," he finished.

"You mean like Nobodies? And Heartless?" Sora looked around for confirmation of this. Yuffie definitely confirmed it by screaming in his ear, but he seemed unaffected by it. "Sounds like you guys could use our help."

"Then let's cut to the chase. Sora, Donald, Goofy," his eyes slid to Roxas' and locked there for a second, making him extremely uncomfortable. "And, of course, Roxas; if you can fight. We were hoping you guys might give us a hand around here."

"Like we're gonna say no?" Sora said smugly. Roxas marveled at just how different he was as opposed to first meeting his former friends in Twilight Town. This boy was cool and confidant instead of nervous and jumpy like he was then. But then again, he was actually in clothes that fit him now. Not to mention, he had known these guys a long time before. So obviously, he would be a lot more confidant. Still, it was funny to watch this happen in people. He supposed being different to different people was just the Somebody way.

Leon shook his head. "I forgot who I'm dealing with." Apparently, he had forgotten that Sora was overeager when it came to fighting like this. Roxas had certainly figured that out not long after they had met.

"Hey…what do you mean by that?" Donald asked, indignant still.

"Just think of it as a sort of…'Leon compliment'," Aerith said, obviously trying to cover up the brunette's behavior. It would be hard to be mad at Leon ever with Aerith covering for him. Said brunette moved past them and opened the door to the house.

"Follow me to the Bailey…there's something you need to see." And then he was gone. Roxas felt relieved to have one stiff, unfriendly figure gone. Now if they could just get Cid out of here…

"Oh, I thought it was you! Right on time." The four turned to find Merlin the wizard standing near them, grinning into his long white beard.

"It's Merlin," Donald said in wonderment, as if nobody realized this fact.

"Sora and the gang said they're gonna help out!" Came the piercing voice of Yuffie. Roxas didn't think she was a bad person or anything, but he couldn't wait to get away from her. She was going to give him a headache for sure.

"Splendid! We'll be, uh…who are you? I don't believe I've ever seen you before." Roxas cursed to himself. What happened to his invisibility? His natural ability to be lost in a crowd? Granted, this wasn't exactly a very big crowd, but still.

"This here's Roxas," Goofy said, pushing him towards the wizard. "He's a new…"

"Ah yes, Roxas; Yen Sid told me to expect you. Of course." He laughed a little before turning to Aerith, much to the blonde boy's relief. "Did you give them the cards, my dear?"

"Oh!" Aerith brought her hand to her mouth; a very graceful motion. Reaching into the small brown bag at her hip, she pulled three purple cards out. She handed them to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "Here; they're presents for you. Leon thought you might like to have them." She glanced regretfully at Roxas. "Sorry, Roxas, we don't have one for you. We weren't expecting you. But we'll get one as soon as possible, okay?" Roxas just nodded, a little touched that she would acknowledge him.

"Hey, thanks, Leeaaah…huh?" Sora looked around blankly, obviously forgetting that Leon had left. Roxas rolled his eyes discreetly, noticing that Aerith was giggling silently behind a hand. "Oh no! We're supposed to be at the Bailey!" He rushed out of Merlin's house, shouting a quick thanks to its residents. The others followed behind him quickly as the four people in the house waved goodbye, shaking their heads.

Leon was leaning against a wall, his favorite position it seemed, staring out over a wide expanse. Sora and the others approached him questioningly. The older man gestured off-handedly.

"Look at that," he said solemnly. The four complied, gasping at the huge Heartless castle in the distance. Was that the Hollow Bastion they had once known? The one they had fought in to ensure the safety of the worlds? Was it perhaps the reason the now quiet town was so overrun with Heartless?

"We want to restore Hollow Bastion to what it used to be." Leon spoke softly, almost as if to himself, but it was obvious he wanted the others to listen. The other man had an almost pained expression on his face. Roxas couldn't blame him; seeing your home practically be destroyed after you only just got it back…it must have been hard to deal with.

"Who knows? Maybe we can make it into something better." He tore his gaze from the Heartless castle and turned it back towards Sora. The melancholy had disappeared, replaced with a determined expression. "There's still a lot to do, but I'm sure we can handle everything. Except for that," he gestured to the castle once more. "…And that." He pointed down at the ground, in the canyon far below. They could just make out two silvery Dusks making their way towards the castle.

"We'll handle 'em!" Sora said confidently. He had no question as to his abilities, which was a really good thing. Roxas couldn't honestly say the same thing about himself.

"Well, that's good to hear," Leon chuckled once, and then his face fell serious again. "So, Sora…do you know what's going on?" Sora began explaining all about Pete and the Nobodies, but Roxas wasn't really listening. His attention was held by the mysterious Heartless castle. From where they were, it looked run-down. It didn't seem to have been used in the time Sora was incapacitated. He couldn't honestly see it as much of a threat if there were just a few Heartless in it. All they needed to do was destroy the whole thing, and anything inside would die. That was the theory, at least. But Roxas was sure that if they could just get rid of that thing, their lives would be so much simpler. The only question was…how?

"You called?" That voice…Roxas felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. He found it difficult to breathe, and wished for the first time that he was an Assassin Nobody so he could sink into the floor. The others ran out into an open area, but he sank to the floor to curl up into a little ball, hoping against hope that he wouldn't be found in here. Xemnas…he would kill him. He told him that if he ever betrayed the Organization, he would track him down and kill him. Anyone who knew Xemnas would know that he kept his promises. And even though they weren't supposed to feel, Xemnas instilled a horrible sense of fear into everyone who served him.

Roxas could hear a conversation going on, but he forced himself not to listen. He concentrated on getting his breathing even again, and calming down. He couldn't be having a breakdown like this every time he heard Xemnas' voice. He had to be strong; he could take them if they tried anything, and he could only pray that the others would help him. Everything was going to be fine. Everything was going to be fine. He repeated that same phrase in his mind like a mantra, gripping it tightly like it was the only thing keeping him sane in this world. For all he knew, it was.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and flinched away, preparing to fight if it was an enemy. But it was only Sora, standing over him with a concerned expression on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Roxas noticed he was keeping a good distance, maybe because he was afraid of setting him off. Roxas took a deep breath to calm himself down again.

"I-I'm fine. What happened?" He looked around expectantly, but Sora just shrugged.

"Organization XIII showed up, and started saying some really weird stuff. But they're gone now." He held out a hand. Roxas took it and allowed himself to be hauled upwards.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"We have to go now," Sora said simply. "Hollow Bastion will be okay for a while. Another world needs our help." He exited the Bailey, Donald and Goofy flanking him. Roxas was stunned that they would leave just like that. He looked to Leon, but the older man simply shouldered past him without looking at him. Roxas followed them slowly. He found he really couldn't be very sad about the cold way they treated him, because he knew they didn't know what he was. It was just a feeling, but it was so strong that he couldn't make himself be worried. He was just glad, really, that Sora hadn't asked any questions.

They left Hollow Bastion immediately, stopping by Merlin's house only for a minute to get some supplies and say goodbye to everyone. Aerith said to Roxas, while the others were busy with Leon, that she would miss him the most, and when they returned she would have his Restoration Committee card. That made Roxas smile. There was a very maternal sense surrounding Aerith. Maybe that was the only reason she was being so nice to him, but it gave him a warm feeling inside to have someone care about him like that.

As they clambered into the gummi ship, Roxas felt like the situation wasn't as bad as he first thought. And maybe, he thought, things would turn out better than he ever imagined.


	5. Land of Dragons I Part 1

AN: Dudes, this chapter is long. Sorry, but it ran on. And there's still more, because this is just part one of the Land of Dragons. Oy...

But I submitted only a week after my last one! Aren't you proud of me? Also, the beginning of this is not that good but trust me the ending rocks. Oh, and cliffhanger of doom. You'll see.

Disclaimer: I don't own it

* * *

Roxas sat in his seat on the gummi ship and strapped himself in, even though nobody else was. The other three just seemed bored during the takeoff, but that might have been because they were so used to riding in one. But the blonde was unused to this, and safety never hurt.

"Hey! What happened to Twilight Town?" The squeaky voice through the intercom on the dashboard alerted his attention.

"It's gone!" another voice said, sounding confused. The residents of the cabin looked around at each other, as if someone else had the answer to the question on everyone's mind: What had happened to Twilight Town?

They had just come from Twilight Town, hadn't they? How could it have just disappeared? Roxas frowned, leaning forward. He stared at the digital map intently, as if with simple willpower he could make the town reappear. He was glad to have left the place, but he didn't know leaving it meant he could never go back. It was his home, whether he wanted it to be or not. He felt a deep connection for the place, and it had always been there before. It couldn't just disappear like that for absolutely no reason.

"I guess there's no going back now," Sora said. The worlds fell on Roxas' ears, echoing his own thoughts and seeming to him like the most melancholy thing he had ever heard. "We'll just have to keep moving forward I guess." Roxas quirked his lips at the irony, but couldn't manage a real smile. All this time fighting to keep moving forward, to keep going, and he wanted to go back when there was nothing to go back to. Life was cruel and unfair.

Nevertheless, he nodded along with the others in agreement to Sora's statement. He had to move forward now, more than ever. If he tried to stay in the past, he would go crazy. So, even though it wasn't with the first choice he had in traveling companions, he would take it. And he wouldn't complain over this.

"Hey, you okay?" Roxas glanced up to find Sora staring at him. The blonde shrugged.

"I guess…" he muttered. "I guess. I don't know."

"You've been weird ever since Hollow Bastion," Sora said quietly so the others couldn't hear. "Ever since we ran into the Organization. You were petrified when we found you in the Bailey." He frowned. "What was up with that?" Roxas froze. He had no excuse prepared for this, and he wasn't a very good liar. Sora would see right through him. But he had to try. He had to try something, because Sora was waiting for him to answer and if he didn't answer he would become suspicious. And he might…

A hand falling on his shoulder made him jump and cut right through his thoughts.

"It's okay." Sora looked concerned, and Roxas wondered just what kind of expression had been on his face to garner that sort of response. "If you have some bad history with the Organization, it's fine. Take your time. You don't have to answer right now." Roxas felt a true smile of relief spread across his face and nodded. He didn't need to answer now. He could think up a suitable excuse so that when Sora asked again he would be ready. He wasn't going to be thrown aside and abandoned. He wouldn't be left alone again.

Most of the trip was silent, the steady blip of the wide-range radar the only thing cutting through the stiflingly quiet cabin. Roxas desperately wanted to break the silence, but doubted anyone would care about what he had to say. His head was swimming with thoughts, none of them suitable for voicing.

One of the thoughts involved Namine, the Man in Red, and whatever Organization member he had conned into helping him. Just because Twilight Town was gone didn't necessarily mean that they were gone, but Roxas didn't see any reason for them to stay there. Their reasons for residing on that world, namely him, were long gone and they probably moved on. He wanted to find out where they went, and follow them, but there was no chance of ever finding their trail if Twilight Town was gone.

He didn't know why he wanted to follow them, but something just made him feel like he needed to know what had happened. He knew it was a bad idea, because if they saw him they would try to make him fuse with Sora again. And he doubted they would listen if he told them he had tried and failed to do that already.

He was really worried about Namine…he didn't think the Man in Red would really hurt her, but there was no way to know what they had done with her. Obviously, she hadn't wanted to go with them. If he knew where they were, he would rescue her in an instant. She had been the one to tell him the truth and give him somewhat of a grip on the whole situation. He felt such a strong bond with her; like that of a sister, or a lifelong friend. It was strange, considering he had only met her in Twilight Town, but by now he had learned not to question anything. Most of his life was strange by now; impossibly abnormal, and a little scary.

Life was a bitch, he decided, his gaze sliding towards Sora in the chair next to his. The brunette had begun dozing, his head resting on his hand. The excitement of seeing his friends again, not to mention the lingering drowsiness from the pods, must have worn him out terribly. Roxas could relate; he still felt drained, and he didn't even spend any time in the pods. Maybe it was his influence doing it.

Roxas frowned at that thought. Were he and Sora still connected, even though they were separate? It certainly seemed that way back in Twilight Town; though Roxas couldn't honestly say if that was because of Sora or the Man in Red. He didn't know what he was supposed to believe anymore, honestly. It seemed like everything he had once believed, everything he had once thought to be the truth, was all a lie.

No, that wasn't completely true. He had known the truth, or at least part of it, while in the Organization. But that was part of his life that he would rather not recall. While he had known a portion of the truth, he had been brainwashed by Xemnas to do his bidding. It was only thanks to Axel that he hadn't been completely immersed in it.

He hadn't actually thought of his red-haired friend much since they had left Twilight Town. He wondered what had happened to him. Did he go back to the Organization? Most likely. Most of the members were too scared to leave. Roxas had been no exception. As confidant as he had sounded while leaving, he was scared to death that Xemnas would catch him. But the desire to know outweighed that fear.

There was another reason he had left. He had never told anyone this, but being around Axel so much made him realize he had…more than friendly feelings towards his friend. All his short life, he had been told Nobodies couldn't feel that way, that it was impossible without hearts. He couldn't deny it forever, though; it got so bad that he just had to leave. If Xemnas found out he was feeling anything, the consequence would be Dusks for both of them. Xemnas didn't mess around one bit.

He shivered at the memory of his cruelty. He had seen it happen to others, allies and enemies alike. Once, for a minor offense, he had been the brunt of his anger. Simply not bringing enough hearts back. He had been injured and couldn't fight anymore without risking serious damage, but the leader hadn't cared; he decided to 'teach him a lesson' in obedience. That night, he recalled, he had avoided even Axel.

Now it was hard to believe that he was actually on the team fighting against him. He was literally opposing the ones he had once fought with, and he couldn't honestly say the transition was better. With the Organization, he had lived in fear, but at least he had been somewhat sheltered by Axel. He may not have been better off with Sora as he thought, since he was so distrusted. Not to mention, when Xemnas found out he was alive he would do everything he could to make sure he was killed. His old leader didn't take kindly to his followers thinking for themselves.

"What are ya thinkin' about, Roxas?" The quiet voice startled him, and brought him back to the present. They were coasting along, still searching for another world, and so far nobody had attacked them. Goofy had turned his seat around to face him, and was staring at him, waiting for an answer. Roxas forced a smile onto his face.

"Uh…nothing in particular. Just…thinking." Goofy didn't seem convinced. He leaned forward, keeping his voice low.

"Is what Sora said true? Do ya have some bad history with the Organization?" He reached a hand forward to lay it comfortingly on Roxas' knee, causing the other boy to flinch. "Ya know, we'll protect ya from them. We won't let them hurt ya." His voice was kept low so as to not wake Sora. Roxas squirmed in his seat; this conversation was making him uncomfortable. He fought to change the subject.

"Where's Donald?" He asked, noticing the other chair was empty.

"Sleepin'," Goofy answered, leaning back in his own chair and mercifully taking his hand with him. "He looked about ready ta keel over. I told 'im I could take care of things myself, and I had Sora here if anythin' went wrong." He glanced at the brunette before gazing at him once more. "Donald don't trust you, ya know." Roxas sighed.

"I know. He told me he knew I was up to no good, and he would find it out before I hurt you guys." He looked up, a pained expression on his face. "You don't think that, do you?"

"'Course not," Goofy said, grinning. "And neither does Sora. Donald tried ta convince us ta ditch ya back in Twilight Town, but Sora wouldn't do it. Said he trusted ya for some reason." He shrugged. "And if Sora trusts ya, then so do I." Roxas smiled in relief, sinking back into the leather chair.

"Thank you," he breathed. "You have no idea how much that means to me." Goofy grinned at him.

"Donald'll come around, don't you worry. It took 'im a while to really trust Sora too, but he did." He turned back towards the front. "Hey, you wanna learn how ta fly tha Gummi ship?" Roxas grinned and moved to the front as Goofy started explaining what all the knobs and buttons did, how to engage autopilot, how to land; Roxas felt a light feeling in his heart, and was glad that he at least had a couple friends like Goofy and Sora to get him through his fears.

--

"See that, Mulan? It's Shan-Yu, leader of the Hun army! C'mon, girl. This

is your big chance! I can see it now: 'Fa Mulan whups public enemy number one!' You gonna be famous! I'm talkin' A-list!"

"Mushu, I'm not sure…" Roxas crouched in the bushes a few yards away from a clearing, where a soldier was staring through some reeds at something far below. There was a large, dragon-shaped shadow talking to him from a rock nearby. Roxas could barely hear what they were saying, and couldn't tell if they were a threat, but they didn't seem to be up to no good.

He had volunteered to go ahead and check out the area for the others. Somehow, he had expected some big Heartless ambush that he could fight off all on his own and be a big hero. But what he found was almost disappointing. He couldn't impress anyone with such a docile scene. He sighed and leaned back to beckon to the others, indicating it was safe to advance.

"A Heartless?" Donald said in a hushed voice as he crouched between Goofy and Sora. Roxas opened his mouth to tell him it didn't seem that way, but Sora interrupted him.

"Let's get the jump on him!" He said, scrambling up. He rushed into the clearing with Donald in tow, Keyblade drawn, ignoring Goofy and Roxas' attempts to stop them. Exchanging a look, the two sighed and ran after them.

The shadow dragon was gone by the time they caught up with the reckless two, but a small red dragon was in the arms of the soldier. They both looked scared; not at all threatening. Just as Roxas had previously suspected. Sora and Donald stopped in the middle of the clearing. Roxas and Goofy joined them a few moments later. Goofy looked stunned.

"Is that Mushu?" The little red dragon peeked over the soldier's shoulder timidly at their group.

"That's right; I know you heard of me!" The dragon said in a voice much braver than his previous actions could support. "I'm little, lethal, and legendary! Now ya'll scram before I get my dragon dander up!" Little was definitely an adjective to describe him, but Roxas wouldn't go so far as to call him lethal or legendary. He had never heard of the dragon-Mushu, was it?-and he looked about as lethal as week-old cheese. More than likely, this little guy was all talk. But Sora and the others seemed to know him, so he said nothing.

"Hey, Mushu," Sora said casually in greeting. "We missed you."

"Yeah, well you better _hope_ I miss _you_, or else you're…" The dragon squinted at them before realization showed on his small face. "Sora! Donald! Goofy!"

"Do you know them?" The soldier asked timidly, seeming to shrink away from the group even more at the knowledge that she was the only one who was out of the loop.

"Know them?" Mushu scoffed-as much as a dragon could-and hopped down to the ground. "Man, we used to kick all kinds of bad-guy butt together! Yeah, you know, I used to help these guys out of a lot of tight spots. Cause I'm a mighty dragon. Right?" Mushu leaned on Sora's leg, trying to look cool, but failed when the brunette moved and he went tumbling to the ground. Sora laughed.

"Something like that." He smiled warmly at the soldier. "And…you are?" The soldier looked ready to skitter away, as if she couldn't stand the idea of being noticed. Roxas could relate; he had felt that way too many times.

"I'm Mulan…" Her eyes widened in horror. "Um, no, I-I mean…" she trailed off, staring at the ground timidly. Luckily, Mushu saved her.

"Ping!" He said, as if reminding her.

"Mulan Ping?" Donald said, obviously confused. Roxas shook his head. It was a fake name. Obviously she was trying to be someone else.

"Just…Ping," the soldier said, looking relieved. She seemed to think she had fooled them all. "I am Ping, son of Fa Zhou."

"You know Mushu?" Sora asked casually. Roxas wondered if he was really taken in by the ruse, or if he was just going along with it. He sincerely wanted to believe it was the latter, but he knew Sora much better than that.

"Mushu's one of my family guardians," Ping said, drawn into the conversation. Already she looked more relaxed, even though she was among strangers.

"We didn't know we were borrowin' someone as important as a family guardian," Goofy said from beside Roxas.

"Yeah, that's right!" Mushu piped up from the ground. Roxas jumped, forgetting he was there. He was so small his voice just seemed to come from nowhere. As it were, he was somewhere near his feet at the time. Funny how close he had come to being trampled. The little red dragon scurried across the clearing and back onto Ping's shoulder. "And that puts you up to your eyeballs in debt to Ping here." Ping tried to smile, but it came out as sort of a grimace of apology. "Well guess what, kiddies? It's payback time."

"Mushu…" Ping mumbled, looking embarrassed.

"Ah, they don't mind." Mushu flashed them a wide dragon grin. "Ain't that right?"

"Hmm," Sora sighed. "Sounds fair."

"See, Ping here was just on his way to join the Imperial Army. We gotta find the other troops over at the training camp."

"Would you join us?" Ping asked softly. "It'll be easier to fit in if I'm with guys, like you."

"What do you mean, 'fit in'?" Sora asked, cocking his head to the side. Roxas sighed to himself. He couldn't believe he was this guy's Nobody; there must have been some mistake. Ping just looked around awkwardly.

"You're pretendin' to be a boy, aren't ya?" Roxas smirked as Sora and Donald jumped at his words.

"You're a…girl?" Sora asked, a dumbfounded expression on his face. Roxas chuckled at that. It seemed he and Goofy were the only ones with any sense around here. Ping smiled sheepishly.

"You didn't notice?" She said, looking pleased. She turned to Mushu. "I think it's working."

"I don't know…" Mushu said, eyeing Sora and Donald critically. "Those two would fall for anything."

Roxas couldn't help himself; he laughed out loud at that. It was true; those two would fall for anything. They were missing brain cells, that was for sure. He and Goofy seemed to be the only logical ones, but even the friendly dog-man had his moments of stupidity. Nevertheless, not being as reckless as his other two companions had huge advantages.

He was fixed with strange looks as the others began to move on and fought to compose himself as he fell just behind Goofy, next to Ping who was hanging back on purpose. Mushu had jumped to Sora's shoulder and the two were talking animatedly.

"Mushu didn't mention you," Ping said quietly from beside him. Strangely, he felt at ease in the presence of this soft-spoken girl pretending to be a boy. Maybe it was because they were kindred spirits; both stuck in a world that expected them to be more than they could be, or maybe in the background where they didn't want to belong. Neither of them probably wanted to be an attachment-a tool to another's plan-but they didn't have a choice in the matter. All they could do was go with the flow and hope it didn't go so fast that they drowned.

"I'm sort of a new addition," Roxas joked, grinning. Ping smiled softly in return. "My name's Roxas."

"I'm Mu…uh, Ping. It's nice to meet you."

"I was standing there when you introduced yourself. There's no need to do it again." Roxas could understand why she did it, though. Conversations were hard to start, especially with someone as introverted as he was. Up ahead, he heard Sora laugh at something that Donald or Goofy or possibly Mushu said. He sighed softly.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Ping frowned at him questioningly. "Living in someone's shadow." He explained. Her face smoothed out in understanding and she nodded solemnly.

"Whose are you living in?" She asked quietly. It was different from her previous quietness, more hushed. It was obvious that she was being quiet now because she didn't want the others to hear their conversation. Roxas let his attention drift for a minute, coming to rest on duck-tailed chocolate hair.

"Everyone's," he said simply. "Or, close enough." The thought of it brought a sad smile to his face. In residing in the Keyblade Master's shadow, he had someone fallen into everyone's shadow, big or small. Then again, it's not hard when you weren't very big to begin with.

He was left with this melancholy thought as they ceased conversation. Mushu eventually hopped back onto Ping's shoulder, and it became silent as they trooped towards the camp. Mushu didn't ask him his name, nor did he offer it, and it seemed things would stay that way. They were both adamantly set on ignoring the others' existence.

The camp didn't seem to be anything special, just a regular war camp if anything like that can really seem ordinary. But Ping and Mushu acted as if this was the most important place they could ever hope to be. For all Roxas knew, maybe it was.

It seemed to be lunchtime, if the long line of soldiers in front of a tent serving rice was any indication. They took their spots at the end of the line, but unfortunately a problem arose.

Roxas barely knew what happened before punches started flying, and bodies with them. He stood back, out of the line of fire, stunned. How it started, he had no idea, but he had no desire to join in anytime soon. Ping seemed to share his inhibitions. She stood back as well, looking frustrated, as Mushu whispered something in her ear. Most likely trying to goad her into the fight or some such nonsense.

"Soldiers! Get back in line!" Roxas jumped at the authoritative voice, and instinctively jumped into line with the others. He had no intention of actually joining the army here, but he couldn't help but let himself be guided by the person who was obviously in charge. It was a horrible flaw, but part of his personality.

The Captain was a fairly tall man, and commanded attention with every movement. His expression was hard-set, but not in a cruel way. More in the way of necessity. Since he needed to command an entire army of troops, it was more than understandable.

Roxas tried to listen to what the Captain was saying, but was distracted by the eye-war Sora was having with the small fat guy. He sighed, half-heartedly trying to make the brunette ignore him.

He stiffened as he heard a soft whoosh, and the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. Heartless; he was wondering when those little bastards were going to show up. Sora noticed too and tore his gaze away from the other man, summoning the Kingdom Key to his hand. Roxas in turn summoned his Keyblades and took up a fighting stance next to his other half. This was his chance to finally get in some action.

The fight was mercifully short, but difficult since three of the soldiers tried to help. Their weapons were useless against the tough skin of the Heartless, and their hacking away only made the creatures swarm. They did eventually realize that their attempts were in vain and retreated, leaving the four of them to kill the little black creatures.

It was just Shadows and Soldier Heartless, but Roxas felt accomplished. He wasn't the strongest fighter of the troupe, he would admit that, but he was good enough to keep up. He just needed a little training, that was all.

"Alright, we did it!" Sora looked pleased and even clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, good job. The Captain's sure to let us all in after this." Roxas glowed at the praise. Nobody had ever commended him on his fighting before. It felt…well, it felt great.

Donald and Goofy were celebrating as well, but Ping looked ashamed of herself. It was obvious that her weapons did not work very well on the Heartless either, though Roxas noticed she managed to kill one or two. She had to have a great sword to be able to damage a Heartless, much less kill one. Roxas wanted to tell her this, but then the Captain started to speak.

"You four," he said, addressing Sora, Roxas, Donald, and Goofy. "What are your names?" They gave their names politely and respectfully, or at least Roxas and Goofy did. Sora was very questionable, and Donald was just downright rude. Maybe that was just his personality.

"You're welcome in my troop," the Captain continued. "Your battle skills are encouraging." It was at this time that Ping decided to speak up.

"Sir," she said, "I am the son of Fa Zhou…"

"You should return home," he said offhandedly, not even looking at her. He treated her as if she were nothing more than a speck of a nuisance, not something worth his time like a soldier with a knack for fighting Heartless. Even if she wasn't as good as their group of four, in this world she was very valuable.

"B-but…" Ping tried to protest. "That would dishonor my family. Please, please let me stay."

"You would rather dishonor my troops?" the Captain said coldly. He finally turned his gaze towards her. She tried to hold his firmly, but Roxas could see her wavering. The fear in her eyes was evident. She wouldn't last long with her resolve. He had to do something; they had come all this way to help her.

"If Ping trains hard and does his best, he'll get stronger in no time," Roxas said, taking a half-step forward so the Captain was forced to pay attention to him. His gaze swiveled towards him, but unlike Ping Roxas gazed back stiffly. This guy wasn't nearly as scary as Xemnas, and if he was going to get Ping into the army he couldn't back down. Finally, the Captain nodded.

"So, you want to be tested?" He nodded thoughtfully. "Our orders are to ambush Shan-Yu's army on their way here. They should be coming through the mountain pass."

"We'll smash them!" Donald cried. Stupid, reckless Donald.

"I doubt that," the Captain said contemptuously, eyeing Donald as if he were a bug, much the same as he did Ping. "You four will be the advance party. Scout out the mountain for my troops."

"That's it? No problem." Sora grinned cockily. Roxas had a bad feeling. But he couldn't stay behind. This was the perfect opportunity to get the others to recognize his usefulness. He couldn't mess this up, and he wouldn't mess this up.

The troop of five trekked along the mountain path as the soldiers' camp grew farther and farther behind them. Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked ahead confidently, chatting, with Mushu among them. Ping trailed behind, looking like she was going to be sick. Roxas hung somewhat beside her, thinking.

Lots of things could go wrong with a simple scouting mission. Then again, lots of things could go wrong just waiting and doing nothing. They could easily get attacked no matter what they did, and it was better to have the upper hand if it had to come to that. But as much as he tried to tell himself this, Roxas just couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong. He shook his head and decided to distract himself but talking to Ping.

"Hey," he said, elbowing her gently. "You nervous?" She nodded stiffly, absent-mindedly picking at rusting spots on her armor.

"I'm not that good at fighting," she said softly. "The only reason I even joined this army was so my father didn't have to. He's too old and weak to fight." She shook her head slowly. "He never taught me how to use the sword, though. There was never any need. It's illegal for women to join the army." She took a deep breath to compose herself. "I'm scared," she admitted.

Roxas nodded slowly, trying to understand. It was difficult, though, to imagine a world in which women couldn't fight. After all, Larxene had fought plenty, and had been one of the fiercest people he knew. And truthfully, he had never really had anyone he needed to protect as much as Ping needed to protect her father.

The fear, though, was a lot easier to understand. The fear of battle, of messing up and looking like a fool, or even of death itself, was a strong thing indeed. It was a clawing and biting sensation which ripped from the inside. So when Ping said she was scared, Roxas felt scared right along with her.

"Stick with me during our next battle," he said encouragingly. "I'll teach you how to fight the Heartless." He smiled. "It's not that hard, even with a regular weapon, with practice." He didn't know if this was actually true, having almost no experience with anyone who wielded a "normal" weapon. But Roxas figured it would do no good to tell her there was no hope for her ever fighting the Heartless as well as they could. If she was confidant, who knew? Maybe she could actually wield a normal weapon well enough to kill Heartless effectively.

It didn't seem to matter, though; his little pep talk did nothing to take Ping out of her funk. And Mushu wasn't helping one bit. He was too concerned with socializing to provide any comfort for his so-called charge. The little red dragon annoyed Roxas immensely, because he also stole his chances at gaining the trust of Sora and the others, but he just had to grin and bear it for now. As long as they were in this world, he was going to be ignored in favor of Mushu. He would just have to accept that.

He stopped dead in his tracks as he sensed dark residue up ahead; something that resulted from Heartless summoning. But there were no Heartless in sight. That could only mean…

"Sora!" He raced ahead, desperate to get to the others and warn them. "Sora, an ambush!" The brunette turned to look at him just as several Shadow Heartless appeared below him to pull him down into their infinite dark hole. Sora cried out and tried to jump away, but they had a good grip on his legs and were dragging him down quickly. Donald and Goofy desperately grasped his arms, trying to pull him back up to safety, but to no avail. They were just too strong.

Roxas was too far away; he couldn't help them pull him out. "Summon the Keyblade!" he screamed, putting on an extra burst of speed, trying to reach his other half before he disappeared completely. Sora sobbed.

"I can't!" he gasped desperately. Roxas could see he was trying, and it wasn't just because Goofy and Donald were currently occupying his hands. He was terrified; he had probably never been caught so off-guard before by the Heartless, and he had forgotten how to summon the Keyblade. That meant it was up to him.

He summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion to his hands, hacking before he had even reached the throng. A few Shadows lurked around the edges, and Roxas took care of those first. They disappeared without much effort. When he reached Sora, he was neck-deep in the darkness, almost completely pulled down. He was holding his head up as high as it would go and gasping, as if falling into water instead of darkness. Roxas beat the immense amount of Shadows ruthlessly, almost without even truly seeing them. He was desperate, focusing only on getting Sora out of there and to the safety of the light. Sora couldn't disappear; he just couldn't.

As the Heartless died, Sora's descent slowed and his friends were able to pull him out somewhat. So, when the last Shadow was gone and the darkness on the ground disappeared, Sora was curled on the ground instead of sinking into it. Roxas fell back in exhaustion, the rise and fall of his chest erratic as he pulled air into his lungs. He had exerted a lot of energy, but it had been worth it. Sora was safe now.

For a moment, all he was aware of was the blood pounding in his ears and how good the breeze felt on his flushed face. His body was calming down slowly, his head swimming. He would have been happy to just spend the rest of his life lying in that spot.

A heavy, warm weight settled on top of him suddenly, before he was oriented enough to even think about moving. Nevertheless, his eyes flew open and he instinctively went to summon his Keyblades, in case the Heartless had come back. But a mop of brown spikes lay below his chin, a heaving bundle clinging tightly to his chest.

"Thank you," Sora gasped. Roxas could tell by his voice that he was still crying. "Roxas, you saved my life…" Roxas felt a smile tug at his lips and he wrapped his arms around the other boy, stroking his back soothingly. His fatigue seemed to disappear while comforting the boy, his heartbeat and breathing returning to normal.

"Of course," he said softly so the others, who were standing a few feet away but watching intently, couldn't hear. "What was I supposed to do, let them take you?" He hadn't really known the other boy as Roxas for very long, but he couldn't imagine the world without him. Trying to made him feel empty inside. The other boy was still part of him, even though they were separate. If Sora was gone, then so was Roxas. One way or another; he couldn't go on if the brunette disappeared.

The others let them lie like that for a while until Sora calmed down. Sora helped Roxas up when he did, grinning, and the blonde didn't miss when he didn't let go of his hand afterwards. He understood that; the brunette didn't want him too far away if something else were to happen. But holding hands with the brunette made him feel weird, in a way that felt familiar; he couldn't place why.

He managed to separate his hand from Sora's after a while, but his other half didn't let him leave his side. He kept sneaking little grins at the other as they walked, even sometimes not listening to the conversation in favor of it. Roxas found it sort of unsettling after being ignored for so long, but he liked the attention and couldn't help but grin back every time.

They encountered some other Heartless on the way up, but nothing as major as that first ambush. They were mostly lesser ones like Shadows and Soldiers; they would have been a problem for the army, but not for their group. Sora was able to fight with more vigor against these, as did Roxas who actually found fighting these minor ones fun. It didn't take them long to reach the town at the summit of the mountain; their goal.

"Finally," Roxas sighed in relief. He was looking forward to eating and maybe even bathing, which he hadn't been able to do since leaving Twilight Town several days previous. He spotted a place selling some sort of soup and grinned.

"I'm going to go eat," he said to the others. "If you want to join me, I think I have enough munny." He still had some left from the collecting escapade he and his friends had gone on with plans to go to the beach. It felt like forever ago; they never did go on that trip.

"I'm not hungry," Sora said, casting a glance back from where they came. "Besides, we should stay here to give the Captain a report. You can go if you want." He cast a longing glance toward him. Roxas felt guilty, thinking that Sora really was hungry and just not saying it because he was actually being responsible. But he wasn't guilty enough to stand with them in the freezing snow on a cold mountain while he could be enjoying a bowl of hot soup.

"I'll go with ya." The voice that spoke was the most unexpected of all. Donald stood there, familiar scowl on his face but in some ways softer, staring up at Roxas expectantly. Roxas blinked and looked up at Goofy, Sora, and Ping, trying to plead with his eyes for one of them to come with him. But the three of them had already started back down the trail to meet the Captain, and he was alone with someone who had said in not so many words that he hated his guts.

"Well, come on," Donald grumbled, pushing past the blonde boy. Roxas was still slightly in shock. This had to be some sort of sick joke or trap. But what else could he do? So he followed the duck to the soup shop, praying that one of the others would come back before they killed each other. Or, more realistically, before Donald pushed him off the mountain.

They didn't talk at first, instead ordering their soup and then silently eating. They didn't even look like they'd come in together, merely like two strangers who just happened to sit next to each other on the bench. And the tension was so thick you couldn't cut it even if you tried. That was expected though, wasn't it? Didn't they have an ongoing feud, where Donald thought he was someone who meant harm to his friends? Wasn't that the way it was supposed to remain. Sure, Goofy said that Donald might eventually warm up to him, but Roxas hadn't expected it to actually happen. Most definitely not this soon, at any rate. This whole thing was so out of the ordinary that it threw him out of the groove he was just starting to dig for himself. Just when he started to really understand what was going on here, the duck had to go and change everything. It wasn't fair; it wasn't fair; it wasn't…

"I still think you're up to no good, ya know." Roxas jumped at the sound of Donald's voice, forcing him out of his thoughts and making him pay attention. "But…" the duck continued, "You saved Sora. So I'm glad you were there. We weren't able to help him at all." Donald's face, which had been blank, transformed into a scowl. "I don't know why you can use the Keyblade too, and I'm not going to ask, but it all seems really fishy to me. Don't think that just because I'm grateful I'm not still suspicious." Roxas sighed, and a genuine smile crossed his face. Donald still hated him; nothing was changing. Normally, this knowledge would have depressed him, but now it made him happy. It made him happy because, as crazy as it was, it eased the tension and allowed him to slip right back into the groove he was quickly becoming familiar with. They didn't talk anymore, because there was nothing left to say after that, but instead ate the rest of their soup in peace.

When they left, the others were talking with the Captain over by the bell in the town square. They wandered over by them to melt in with the group and listen to the conversation.

"You did well, Ping," the Captain said, genuinely giving the girl praise. "If you keep this up, you may become a valuable fighter yet." Roxas saw that as a sort of backwards insult disguised as an compliment, but Ping simply bowed, her face glowing.

"Thank you, sir," she said happily. "I won't let you down. You can count on me for anything, anytime."

"Hmm…" the Captain motioned to two soldiers flanking him and they left, leaving them all standing alone near the bell.

"Did you hear that?" Ping whirled around excitedly, beaming. "He said I might become valuable as a fighter someday! Nothing like that has ever been said to a woman in my country before!"

"Girl, you may want to keep your voice down," Mushu whispered urgently, looking around nervously. "Someone might hear you, and then you'll never get your chance to shine."

"Oh…right." Ping lowered her voice, but the grin remained on her face. She spotted Roxas and Donald lingering near the back. "Oh, you're back." Goofy and Sora turned to find their friends standing behind them. Roxas was smiling and gave a little wave. He was happy for Ping; she was finally moving up in the world.

Roxas and Donald moved to join their friends until they were close-knit enough for Mushu to come out of Ping's shirt. He had something to say, apparently; something nobody wanted to miss.

"Okay, guys-and girls-listen up. I just saw this real shady guy sneakin' into that cave over there, and I know it's Shan-Yu." Ping gasped.

"The Hun leader? Shouldn't we tell the Captain about this?"

"No, no, no, no," Mushu said hurriedly. "No, what we need to do is go in that cave and beat that baddie ourselves. Nothin's gonna look better on that soldier application than kickin' the hiney of China's biggest bad guy. So come on, waddya say?"

"I don't know…" Sora said doubtfully. "I mean, what if he's too strong for us? If he's China's biggest bad guy, we might not be able to take him on our own. I think we should tell the Captain."

"Listen, Keyblade boy," Mushu said, turning to Sora. "I have seen you guys fight. I know you're bad-ass. Shan-Yu doesn't stand a chance. 'Sides, the sooner this war is over, the sooner my girl here can go home to her daddy with honor. Come on, don't you want Mu…uh, Ping to be able to go home and say she defeated Shan-Yu? She'll be famous a famous warrior!" Sora sighed. Roxas saw his resolve crumble before his eyes.

"Okay; we'll go fight Shan-Yu. But if there's any chance at all that he's too strong for us, we retreat. I'm not going to risk my friends' lives for this guy." Roxas felt Sora's hand brush his as he said that. It was probably just an accident.

The cave in question was small as caves went. There was a narrow tunnel, one that someone like Shan-Yu might have trouble squeezing through, which led to a large room housing a shrine. Shan-Yu, however, was not there.

"Hey, it's empty!" Donald exclaimed indignantly.

"I know I saw him come in here!" Mushu retaliated, climbing on top of Ping's head as if the slightly high altitude would help him see something that wasn't there. "He's gotta be here somewhere. Maybe we should look around on the walls for some kind of secret switch or somethin'. Maybe he's hidin' somewhere."

"Forget it, Mushu," Sora said, starting towards the tunnel. Donald and Goofy were already past the mouth of the chamber. "If he's here then it's a trap. We're not falling into it. We're going to leave and tell the Captain, and he and his troops can deal with it if they need to."

"No, wait!" Mushu scrambled off of Ping's shoulder, scrabbling at the walls. "There's gotta be some way we can find him! Come on, let's just look a little!" Sora and Ping sighed, moving towards him to pick him up and force him to leave the cave. Roxas took a step forward, planning to join him, when he froze. He sensed it again; the dark residue. Sora was right, this had been a trap. And they had fallen for it.

Seconds later a force field appeared at the lip of the cavern, separating Donald and Goofy from Sora, Roxas, Mushu, and Ping. Sora glanced up at the sound of it, and looked towards Roxas, who was standing stock-still and staring at the thing blocking their only way out. They were completely trapped.

Sora quickly approached Roxas and shook his shoulder. "Keyblade," he said simply. Roxas noticed he had already summoned the Kingdom Key and nodded. Oblivion and Oathkeeper shimmered into his hands, becoming the weight that anchored him to this world. He had to focus on them, and not being trapped. It was the only thing that would keep him from being killed.

Ping had gathered up Mushu and stuffed him into her breastplate. Her sword was drawn too and they stood in a triangle so none of them were caught off-guard. Sora squeezed Roxas' arm comfortingly once, and then all hell broke loose.

Shadows and Soldiers started appearing from every corner of the room, along with a few indigenous to this world. None of them were very strong, but the sheer numbers multiplying every time they thought they were winning left them no room for resting. They were running on pure adrenaline and the will to live alone. This battle would tire them out completely and leave them drained for hours afterward.

It took a long time, but the Heartless did eventually thin out. The cave was empty for about two seconds, in which Sora and Roxas felt immense relief, before two giant centaur-like Heartless appeared. One of them appeared beside Ping and thrust their lance at her, knocking her to the floor. Roxas felt a moment of panic, thinking the thing had killed her, but she was up in a second. It had only left a big scratch along the breastplate. Roxas hoped Mushu had moved.

Even the Keyblades had a rough time with these guys. They weren't pushovers, not a bit, and their attacks were devastating. Roxas managed to block them, but that also left him vulnerable. He was quickly becoming overwhelmed, and he started to panic.

The one he was trying to defeat sensed this panic and attacked with new vigor. The sheer power knocked both Keyblades out of his hands, sending them in opposite directions. Roxas knew it would take at least a few seconds to summon them again, and the Heartless was so close. Those lances were deadly; he wouldn't survive a direct blow from them. The only reason Ping had was because of her armor. This was it for him.

The Heartless raised its lance high up into the air, preparing for the killing blow. Roxas was back into a corner, and couldn't possibly hope to escape. This was it, he knew it. No more traveling with Sora, no more seeing worlds, no more piloting lessons from Goofy and no more dirty looks from Donald. Yes, he would even miss those. It was funny how much he would miss those.

"Roxas!" Sora screamed, having noticed his friend's predicament. The Heartless drove the lance downward at full force. Roxas screwed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the end.


	6. Land of Dragons I Part 2

AN: Erm...yeah, I know that absolutely none of this happened in the game. I got into a thing and went with it. Hope you enjoy it anyway.

I'm so sorry I took so long!! My computer's been broken. I've been writing when I can, but it's hard when I have homework to do at the library and stuff. So since I took so long, I'm not waiting until the weekend to update.

This will be a three-parter world due to my lack of foresight. But, in my biased opinion, it will be worth it. Hope I still have some fans out there who want to read my stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own it

* * *

CLANG!!

The harsh metallic sound grated on Roxas' ears as he pressed himself against the back wall of the cave, eyes tightly clenched shut. He didn't want to open them, to see the source of the noise. He was certain that if he did, he would find a spear sticking out of him. Or worse, find himself dead.

"Roxas, move!"

Sora's voice…Roxas heard it clearly, and yet he was still skeptic. Could the dead still hear things? Had Sora perhaps died too, in some horrible twist of fate?

"Roxas!" The blonde could not ignore the insistent voice. He would have to look, and face this. He had to look. Roxas forced his eyes to squints, and was surprised to find Sora mere inches from him, his Keyblade generating a protective shield around both of them, staving off the spear being pressed into it by the centaur Heartless. The brunette was straining, his face set in deep concentration, desperately keeping the shield up despite the obvious amount of energy it required. Roxas could have slapped himself for being so stupid.

Roxas slipped out of the shield, around Sora into the center of the cave. His Keyblades had already reformed in his hands, ready to do his bidding. He had to save Sora before his strength failed him. Lunging at the large Heartless, he plunged Oblivion into the creature's chest and swung Oathkeeper around to plant in his back for good measure. He stood stock-still for a moment, frozen, before disappearing in a puff of black fog. The other one disappeared soon after that, unwilling to risk its own life.

Sora sighed, the sound coming out more like a whine as he dropped the shield and collapsed on the ground, breath coming in short pants. Roxas noticed he was much too pale and went to kneel next to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Sora nodded as best he could.

"Yeah," he gasped, his eyes closed. "Just need to…to rest a little…" Roxas heard the tell-tale sound of the force field falling and looked back to find Goofy and Donald tentatively entering the cave, on guard for any more Heartless that might appear. Ping stopped them from joining him and Sora in the corner of the cave. Roxas thanked her in his mind. The brunette didn't need any excitement right now.

He stood up to join the others, Donald glaring at him suspiciously.

"What happened?" The duck asked, just barely directing his attention towards Roxas even though he was clearly asking him the question. Roxas shrugged.

"Some sort of ambush I guess. Maybe Shan-Yu set it up." He glanced back at the still-heaving form of the Keyblade Master. "We need to get Sora back to town so he can rest up. Ping, can you help me carry him?"

She rushed forward to help, slinging one of Sora's arms around her neck and grasping his waist tightly to support him. Roxas did the same on his other side, noting with worry that Sora was breathing shallowly. His eyes were unfocused, at half mast, and his head was lolling despite the obvious effort he was exerting to keep it up. Roxas knew he had used to much power, like Yen-Sid warned him about, and that the magic had begun eating away at his vitality. The only way to cure that was rest, for who knew how long. He could be out of it for weeks for all they knew.

"Is he going to be okay?" Ping asked softly, staring worriedly at the Keyblade Master's limp form. Roxas didn't answer, simply clung to the boy tighter. He would be okay, eventually. Rather, he wouldn't die. But with him as incapacitated as he was, he was vulnerable to an attack. Roxas vowed not to leave his side until he was completely healed.

The Captain questioned where they had been when they got back of course, and what had happened to Sora, but everyone simply refused to answer. Especially in such a dire moment. Roxas simply said that they needed to get Sora into a warm house so he could rest. That was the best they could do right now.

True to his word, Roxas set up a chair next to Sora's bed and didn't leave it once. Donald and Goofy agreed that it was probably a good idea to have someone watch over Sora. They tried to convince Roxas to guard him in shifts so he could get some rest, but he refused. He would allow them to guard Sora with him, but he wouldn't leave until the brunette woke up. If not for Sora, he would be dead right now. He owed everything to the boy, and the least he could do was stay by his side while he was out of action.

Goofy stayed the longest, usually, since Donald couldn't stand to be in a room with a silent Sora and Roxas in any way. Roxas was grateful for the company, but at the same time he felt a possessiveness over Sora that made him want to drive the dog away. He chalked it up to tiredness, since for the last couple of days the most sleep he'd had was in the chair beside Sora.

He was exhausted, he admitted that. He would have loved to curl up in a bed, forget about his problems, and just sleep. But he couldn't do that. His guilt wouldn't let him. It was his fault Sora was so drained, and he wouldn't be able to sleep properly until he knew the boy was safe.

"Roxas…" Roxas looked up blearily from the stare he had settled on of Sora's right foot. It was so rare to see the boy without shoes. It was easy to see why; his feet were disgusting. He blinked a few times to bring the form of Goofy into focus. His vision was going blurry; not alarmingly so, but enough to be a nuisance. The dog was staring at him worriedly from the doorframe.

"Ya don't look so good, Roxas," he said, entering the room hesitantly. "You should get some rest. Sora wouldn't want ya to suffer like this, ya know." Roxas shook his head and rubbed at his eyes, trying to wake himself up.

"I'm fine," he protested. "Really. I am. I'm just…thinking."

"'Bout what?" Goofy settled into a chair across from him.

"What happens if he doesn't wake up?" The idea had popped randomly in his head, just a haze of words that didn't make much sense until voiced, but once they left his mouth he really thought about them. If the Keyblade Master didn't wake up, if something happened to him, what then? Would they continue on without their precious friend? Would they do what needed to be done, even without the driving force keeping them together? Or would they all crumble into apathy, deciding it wasn't worth it without him, and let things turn out as they may? Sure, he could use the Keyblade, but could it be enough? Would it?

"Sora's not that bad off," Goofy said, shaking his head. He shot a worried glance at the still form on the bed, though. Roxas followed his gaze. There was no change.

"But just say he didn't," Roxas said quietly. "What would we do? Could we even do this without him? If he died…"

"Now, shut up about that!" Roxas started. He had never heard Goofy yell before. Not like that, at least. He turned his gaze back to the dog, who was looking down guiltily.

"Sorry," he said, seeming genuinely regretful. "But ya gotta understand, Sora's gonna be fine. And talkin' like that…well, it ain't doin' nobody no good is all. 'Specially not Sora. He'll wake up soon, you'll see, and everythin' will go back to normal." Roxas almost believed him, except he noticed the waver in his voice as he said it. It spoke volumes.

Sora had been unconscious for too long. Something was wrong, he knew it. Even Goofy knew it. If they couldn't fix him, there was no hope. Goofy and Donald would not be strong enough to continue without their friend, and Roxas could never hope to fill the brunette's shoes.

"Ya want somethin' ta eat?" Goofy asked suddenly. "Ya look like yer losin' weight." Roxas nodded absent-mindedly, his gaze settled on Sora's face. He was a little hungry, and maybe if there was food in the room he would be tempted to eat it. He heard soft footsteps leaving the room, and then was left in silence once again with the unconscious boy.

A thought came to him through his stress-baked brain: He and Sora were still technically connected. Maybe the reason Sora wouldn't wake up was something he could fix. But he would have to work quickly, before Goofy came back and began asking questions. Whether he could do it or not, he didn't need anyone poking around.

Roxas stood up for the first time in what felt like days, his head swimming. He sat down again immediately on the bed. Maybe he was worse off than he thought. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember the last time he had eaten anything. Maybe Goofy was right. But it wouldn't matter anymore if he could get Sora to wake up. If Sora could just wake up, everything would be okay. Everything would be right again.

He sat down dizzily on the bed. Everything was out of focus; if he could just lie down for a minute…

He rolled over to lie beside the boy already inhabiting the bed. It felt strangely…good to be beside him like this. Better than anything he had ever felt before. It was _right,_ if that made any sense. Roxas burrowed closer until one arm was slung around Sora's waist, his head resting on the brunette's shoulder. The soft, peaceful breathing of the boy had a calming effect, easing the nerves that had been building for the last couple of days. He felt himself floating on a cloud between the waking world and the unconscious, and then he fell into a deeper sleep than he had ever experienced in his short life, perfectly content.

--

Roxas was dreaming. It was strange, because he knew it was a dream. But more than that, he recognized the place he was; Destiny Islands. He had seen it enough, through Sora's memories, to know what it was, but it still felt strange to be there.

Since he knew it was a dream, he was confident that if it turned bad he could wake himself up. But he wasn't in any hurry. This place was peaceful. It was nice to get away from the fighting and the drama that had become his life. It was tiring, grating on his already frayed conscious. A break was always nice.

Roxas made his way down the beach, taking in the sight. Everything was as he, or rather Sora, remembered it. Every tree and grain of sand in its place. Even though Roxas knew it wasn't real, he was nearly taken in by the whole thing. The only thing that really made him realize it was a farce was the lack of people. In Sora's memories, there were always children playing on this island, and boats in the distance. But here there was nothing but land, perfectly preserved.

No, wait…Roxas stopped, squinting at the raised spit of land on the edge of the beach. Someone was sitting on the tree there; the twisted one covered in star shaped fruits. He could see the fuzzy outline silhouetted against the setting sun. Roxas smiled, picking up his pace and shuffling in the sand towards the figure. He didn't need to know anything about this place to know that the person was Sora. Something in his instincts just told him that this was him, and he was supposed to join him.

Pulling himself up onto the little bit of land was difficult, but he managed to do it. Sora noticed his struggle but remained where he was, gaze turned away. Roxas flopped down next to him on the ground and sighed.

"Hi," he said, flashing a smile at the other boy. Sora simply raised a hand in greeting, his gaze trained on the setting sun across the sea. Roxas frowned and moved closer to the boy, trying to get him to look away from the sight.

"Earth to Sora," he said, waving a hand in front of the boy's face. Sora simply knocked his hands away. "Hey…you could look at me, you know." The brunette glanced his way for less than a second before his gaze snapped back to its previous location. The blonde huffed indignantly. He was used to being ignored, but not like this; not in a place where there was nobody around to occupy Sora's attention. And it was especially weird considering the way Sora had been clinging to him since Roxas saved him from those Heartless. He pushed on the boy's shoulder gently.

"You okay there?" He asked rhetorically. The brunette seemed to be just fine physically, so he didn't expect an answer. But he felt like if he kept talking Sora would eventually get annoyed enough and at least snap at him, which would be something. He didn't like just sitting in silence, and he never had. "Is the sunset that nice?" Roxas glanced at it but didn't see the appeal. It was just a sunset.

"It is, actually," Sora said quietly. Roxas had never heard him so calm, so morose, before. It was almost more unsettling than the silence. "I haven't seen this sunset in almost two years…I used to watch it every night with Kairi and Riku." He smiled, but it looked pained. "They're not here. I was searching for them for a while, sure that the whole Keyblade thing was some crazy dream and that we were all back. But I couldn't find them." He pointed towards the dock. "My boat is gone, too, so I can't leave. This is the dream, isn't it?"

Roxas nodded. It was good that Sora realized that, but why didn't he wake up? If he knew this was a dream, simply a figment of his memories and subconscious mind, why didn't he wake up so they could get back to doing what they had to do?

"I don't want to go back," Sora said, as if answering his thoughts. "It's too hard. I like it here, even if Kairi and Riku will never join me. I want to stay here forever." Roxas blinked. The reason he wouldn't wake up was because he didn't want to? He never pegged Sora as the deserting type.

"How can you do that?" He asked. "We're all waiting for you to wake up."

"You guys can do it without me," Sora said, shrugging. "You're a Keyblade Master too. Take Donald and Goofy and take over. I'm sick of it. I just want to go home, and here I am."

"You idiot!" Roxas stood up, anger shaking him and commanding Sora's full attention at last. "Don't you get it? We can't do this without you! You're the thing that holds us all together! If you just decide to lie in a bed for the rest of your life instead of doing what you were chosen to do, where does that leave us? We can't leave without you, we can't fight without you, we can't do anything unless you're there beside us!" Sora shook his head.

"You don't understand what it's like to have this much pressure. What it's like to have everyone rely on you so completely…"

"You're wrong," Roxas said clenching his teeth. "You're not the only one that's ever been relied on; you're not the only one suffering. You can't just walk away and turn your back on everyone because things are hard. It's times like those that you have to fight harder, and prove to yourself that you can be something. You're not weak, Sora, but you sure are acting like it."

"You just don't understand," Sora mumbled, turning away from the blonde. Roxas growled in frustration. He couldn't leave this stupid dream world until Sora woke up. Instinctively, he knew this. Reasoning with the Keyblade Master when he had already had so much time to think and be set in his ways would be hard, but if he didn't do it…well, there was a chance that things would turn out very badly. So he swallowed his anger, trying to be sympathetic to the idiot brunette. It was his only shot.

"Look," he said, laying a hand on Sora's shoulder. The other boy didn't react. "I know it's hard, but you've done this kind of thing before, haven't you? What was different?" Sora mumbled something he didn't hear. "What?"

"I said, 'I had Kairi to save then.'" He turned slightly towards Roxas. "I couldn't let her down, and so before I was more than willing to endure this. I could do it if it was for her." Sora sighed. "I just want to go back home now. She's safe, why can't I be? Why do I have to risk my life every day when there's nothing left to fight for?"

"That's not true. You still have plenty to fight for." Roxas nudged him, so Sora would look at him. "What about Riku? Isn't he still out there?" He had gotten his ass kicked by the platinum-haired boy. Chances were that he was somewhere out there. "And what about your friends from all the worlds? You don't want them to lose their homes, do you?" Sora shook his head slowly.

"No, but…what if I fail?"

"You won't. You have me, and Donald and Goofy to help. With us behind you, you can't lose." Roxas smiled. "Come on, don't give up. You can't give up now." Sora was silent for a long time. Roxas decided not to break it, and let the brunette think. He stared at the sunset, mimicking the boy beside him. The sun hadn't moved an inch since he last saw it. It must have been stuck like that so it would never set. Maybe he had judged too harshly earlier; it was a beautiful sight.

"Do you promise?" Roxas jumped. The brunette was staring at him levelly.

"Promise what?"

"Do you promise you'll be behind me, come what may? Do you promise to stay with me, and make sure I never think like this again?" Roxas blinked.

"Of course," he answered. He didn't even need to think about it. He would do anything Sora needed him to do. After all, he was part of the boy. And if you couldn't be true to yourself, who could you be true to? "Why would I have reason to do otherwise?"

Sora shrugged and leaned against the blonde, resting his head on Roxas' shoulder. "Thanks…" he said quietly. Roxas half-smiled and messed up the boy's already unruly hair.

"It's no big deal. You'd do the same for me, right?" When there was no answer, Roxas turned to frown at Sora, only to realize he was no longer there. He turned both ways to look behind him, around him, everywhere, trying to find the brunette. He realized that it was impossible for Sora to have moved without him knowing, and the thought that this was a dream didn't even cross his mind. Finding the Keyblade Master was the only thing he cared about.

"Sora?" he called, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice. "Sora!"

"Roxas!" The blonde jumped and looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. It was Sora's, there was no question of that, but it didn't seem to come from anywhere in particular. "Roxas, wake up!"

The blonde's eyes flew open, and he found himself laying on the bed Sora had been sleeping on. Said brunette was beside him now, up and well, shaking him awake.

"We're being attacked!" he cried. "Come on, we need to help!" Roxas sat up, dazed. Now that he was awake, he could clearly hear the sounds of war outside. He shook his head, trying to wake up, and leapt off the bed, Keyblades appearing in his hands in a flash of light. He still felt a little weird, but not bad enough that he couldn't fight.

"Let's go," he said. Sora nodded in agreement, summoning his Kingdom Key and racing out the door. Roxas raced after him, but didn't make it far as he was soon confronted by several Soldier Heartless and surrounded in the small hallway.

"Damnit," he growled. He didn't want to fight alone, even though he knew he could. The Soldier's were small fry, easily taken care of, but if they were around there was a chance of stronger Heartless coming to their aid. Roxas knew he couldn't take those ones on by himself. He would just have to finish them off quickly.

"Out of my way!" He leapt at the first one with both Keyblades, smashing them down through the tin-foil armor. It died almost instantly, its uselessness more than epitomized. It did not, however, deter the others, who threw themselves at him all at once.

It was a nuisance, to have to deal with so many at one time, especially while defending himself from their questing teeth and claws. He didn't technically have a heart for them to take, but it would do no good for them to know that. Besides, if they found that out they would just go for the others. It was better to finish them off here while they were none the wiser of his status. All in all, it wasn't hard to finish off such weaklings.

When Roxas finally got out of the house, he found the town in chaos. Heartless roamed over every inch of the town; the buildings, the bell, the outposts, even the people. The soldiers fought hard, but Roxas noticed that a lot of them had already fallen. They didn't stand much of a chance anyway, Roxas knew that, but it did fuel his anger.

Donald and Goofy were defending the gate, but it was a futile effort. For every one they stopped, ten more got past them. Even with Donald's magic, they were visibly struggling. Sora was fighting back to back with Ping in the center of the town, trying to clear out the worst of the throng. The Captain and the remaining soldiers had taken refuge on top of a house, shooting arrows at the Heartless on the ground and fighting off any that tried to climb up. From Roxas' vantage point, he could tell this would end in disaster. The Heartless were too many, and more just kept coming. A few of them were those centaur ones that had given them so much trouble back in that cave, and at least half of the rest could use strong magic. The only option would be to run; or else they would all become Heartless.

Roxas ran through the thick towards Sora, ignoring the scratching claws and spells. The most they could do to him was hurt him a little; he had no heart for them to take. Getting to Sora was more important.

"Sora!" The brunette's attention was distracted for a moment and a Heartless jumped towards him. Roxas destroyed it with a blow, stopping suddenly enough to kick up snow on the Keyblade Master's shoes. "We can't fight here! We have to retreat; trust me, we can't win! If we stay here, we're dead!" Sora stared at him incredulously.

"Give up?" He cried. "How can you even think that? We have to defend this town!"

"Look around!" Roxas said, gesturing in a wide circle. The buildings were on fire, already barely more than foundations; soldiers and citizens littered the ground, some dead, some simply injured beyond help. The few soldiers left were in danger of being overwhelmed. Roxas knew Sora saw this, but he also knew the brunette wouldn't want to leave without a fight.

"Please, trust me," he said. "If we don't get out of here, all our friends will be dead."

"But…the town…"

"It's already lost," Roxas said sadly. "There's nothing else we can do. We have to save who we can." Sora frowned at the ground, conflicted, and then nodded defeatedly. Roxas sighed in relief.

"Ping!" He called to the soldier still fighting. She didn't turn around, but Roxas knew she heard him. "Try to get over to the captain! We'll get Donald and Goofy and help them down, and then we'll retreat up the mountain! We can hide there until this dies down!"

She nodded, still concentrating on the enemies before her, visibly edging towards the house the Captain and soldiers were currently marooned on. Sora and Roxas fought their way through the crowd of Heartless, the black smog obscuring their vision. The snow at their feet was visibly melting under thousands of little feet, leaving wilted and trampled patches of grass everywhere. It would never grow back again, if that fire had anything to say about it. In fact, this town would very likely be covered in snow and forgotten. Roxas didn't want that to happen, but he also didn't want to become part of the body count. He pushed on.

It was tough to convince Donald and Goofy to leave, but they eventually persuaded the pair that retreat would be the best course of action. Using mostly magic, enhanced by Donald's innate abilities, they made it to the soldiers and rescued them from the top of the house. As they were running, one of the remaining soldiers was down by a Cannon Heartless. The others took advantage and swarmed over the unfortunate man, amidst screams for help. The Captain tried to go back, but the others grabbed him and propelled him along. The soldier was already lost, and going back would do no good to anyone.

They managed to lose the Heartless on the mountain trail and sat to take a breather. Roxas sat on a particularly large rock jutting out over the cliff, staring at the fringe of trees far below. He shuddered, thinking how terrible it would be to fall from there. It didn't look like it was far enough that you would pass out on the way down…no, if he fell he would be awake for every agonizing, heart-wrenching second. He backed up far enough that he wouldn't have to look over the edge and leaned back on his hands, sighing exasperatedly.

"You okay?" Sora sat down next to him, concern and fatigue evident in his voice. Roxas nodded.

"I'm fine. Just…I wish we'd had more time to prepare. Maybe we could have done something more than just save our own hides." He sighed. "Sorry. I know it was my idea to do it, and I know we're no good dead, but…" He sighed again. "I wish we didn't have to do it." Sora nodded.

"I know what you mean. I have to make decisions like that all the time. I should have been the one to make that call, not you. I should have realized we needed to retreat." Sora cocked a half smile at him. "I guess I should thank you, for making me see reason before we all lost our hearts. I know you're not good with taking charge…" He smiled at Roxas, who was pretending to look offended. "Don't try to deny it, it's written all over your face. Anyway…thanks." He stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants and hands. "We'll be moving soon, up the mountain to meet with a separate group of soldiers. Be ready to go by then." With that he left, leaving Roxas once again sitting alone on the rock.

Now he had something to think about: He had taken charge back there, even though he really hadn't wanted to. Did some of Sora's leading spirit leak out into him, or was it simply his own drive to protect those he desperately wanted to call friends that made him do it? He couldn't honestly say; all he knew was that something made him get everyone out. It was like he was operating on autopilot or something. He just did what he knew he had to do, and afterwards couldn't seem to make it happen again. It was frustrating and puzzling. He decided he would have to pay more attention from then on, to figure out how to trigger whatever it was. If he was going to make it at all, he was going to have to do just that and pray for results.

Some of the remaining soldiers had been wounded by the attacking Heartless and had to be carried. It was hard, trekking that distance while carrying limp bodies, but they pressed on. The only thing that kept them going was the camp farther up the mountain and the promise of shelter. If they didn't keep moving, they would die.

Donald and Sora, the two magic-users of the group, created small flames in their hands to keep their troupe warm. The flickering fire was little comfort, but comfort nonetheless. Roxas doubted it would be of any use in the long run. But maybe they just needed something to focus on. Maybe they needed to feel like they were doing something useful so they didn't go mad. He would have welcomed something like that.

The sun was just a sliver on the horizon when they finally saw tents. Rows upon rows of them in neat little lines on the ground, looking like the Promised Land instead of a dingy little soldiers' camp. They began to cheer, and then stopped when they noticed something was wrong.

The camp was completely deserted.

The tents looked in order, sure, but there were no lights on in them with silhouettes of men laughing or talking inside. There was nobody training or sitting by a fire or bathing. Even the Captain's tent for this troupe was empty. Everyone was completely gone.

Captain Shang cleared his throat to gain their attention.

"We'll have to sleep here for the night and hope we'll be safe. We all need rest, and this is our only option." He turned to the three soldiers not wounded. "You three, help me get these men into a tent so we can patch up their wounds. The rest of you go look for supplies. We'll need all we can get if we're going to survive up here." The respective parties did as they were told; Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Roxas to look for supplies, and the soldiers carrying the wounded to a medical tent. Everything was deathly silent, save for the crunch of feet in the fresh snow.

"I wonder what happened to the soldiers here," Sora remarked as he and Roxas collected sticks for firewood. Roxas shrugged, wiping snow off a small log he found and tucking it under his arm.

"Maybe they just moved on," he said. It was possible. They could have been reassigned to a different area.

"Without taking down their camp?" Sora said skeptically. "Soldiers have to carry their tents with them and set up camp whenever possible. If they were just moving, I don't think they would simply leave them here. No, it's kind of like something forced them out. Probably when they were on patrol or fighting, so they didn't have time to pack up." Roxas stared at the brunette. That actually made sense.

"So, is it really safe for us to stay here?"

"Probably," Sora said, heading back towards the camp with a bundle of twigs held close to his chest. Roxas followed quickly. "Whatever chased them away is long gone," Sora said confidently. "We're perfectly safe here."

Later, once a fire was going and food was cooking from the stores in one of the tents, Roxas snuck into the medical tents. Nobody even noticed he had left, and he just had to check on the wounded soldiers.

They looked pretty awful. Their skin was mottled with dark, ugly bruises. On the worse ones, it was obvious they had broken bones. A couple were laying around armor-less, their ribs taped up tight with bandages. Roxas wasn't a doctor, but he knew those men wouldn't be moving anytime soon with just that treatment.

He pulled the green orb given to him by Yen-Sid out of his pocket. He hadn't shown it to the others, and he hadn't used it since he'd gotten it. Now, it seemed like the right moment. Most of these men were sleeping fitfully, sweat on their brows from the agonizing pain. The only reason they were like this was because they had fought to defend that town as hard as they could. They didn't deserve pain for doing such a noble thing.

Roxas held the orb loosely in his hand and passed it over the closest soldier. He didn't really know what he was doing, but, to his amazement, the orb started to glow and the bruises retreated back into the body, becoming fresh, smooth skin. The soldier's eyebrows came unknit, and his breathing became even, peaceful. The pain, and the wound, were gone for the most part. The blonde smiled to himself and moved on to the next soldier.

It didn't take long for him to start feeling light-headed. He knew the orb was feeding off of his own energy now, but couldn't seem to stop. He wasn't even halfway through the wounded soldiers. He couldn't leave the rest to suffer through the night in pain. A little fatigue was a small price to pay for these soldiers' health.

The next soldier was worse off than the rest. His face had been burned, and the skin was littered with blisters and charred flesh. He was awake, barely, wheezing pitifully and staring at him through his one good eye. Roxas knew he wouldn't make it through the night if he didn't help him. He passed the orb over the man's body and saw the familiar glow. He smiled, expecting to see the man's wounds heal; his eyes close in contented sleep. Instead, he felt a sharp pain that felt as if it came from the very center of his being. He winced, pulling his hand back.

He rubbed his chest, where it felt like the pain had come from. That was strange…but he couldn't let it distract him. He held the orb up again, but before he could start healing a hand grabbed his wrist.

Roxas jumped and whirled around in a defensive position. He had been so occupied that he hadn't even heard anyone open the tent flap or seen the faint light from the fire flickering in the doorway. It was hard to see in the dark, but there was no mistaking that hair: It was Sora.

"I…I thought you were eating with the others," Roxas mumbled quietly. Sora shook his head.

"I saw you come in here and followed you. What are you doing?" Roxas averted his eyes from the piercing gaze Sora was fixing him with. He knew the brunette knew exactly what he'd been doing, and so he didn't answer. His hand went slack as Sora removed the orb from his grasp. He didn't even put up a fight.

"This is Cure, isn't it?" Sora asked, inspecting the green orb closely. He looked back at Roxas. "You need to be careful with this. Using too much magic is dangerous. Why do you think Donald and I only use a little at a time?"

"But…" Roxas began, and then stopped. He had wanted to say: "But you use it all the time to help people. I just wanted to do the same." He knew, however, that saying such a thing would make him seem incredibly vulnerable and ignorant. Of course it was true, he wanted to be of some use, but Sora wouldn't see it that way. Or maybe he would, and decide that Roxas didn't deserve to use magic. The blonde didn't want that; he needed that rush of magic flowing through him like a drug. Just once he had used it and he wanted more, even if it cost him his life. He held out his hand for the orb, already feeling a little stronger with the pause.

"Give it back," he said calmly. "I'll just heal these soldiers and then I'll rest. I promise." A crease appeared between Sora's eyebrows.

"You don't get it, do you?" He thrust the orb into Roxas' face. "See that red spot in the middle? It's drained, and it's feeding off your energy. You should never keep going once it gets to this point. You have to stop right now." Roxas shook his head.

"I can't. I can't just leave them like this overnight. Some of them might not make it." He was pleading now. Sora had to see the logic and give it back. If he healed slowly, maybe he would just need a good night's rest to restore his energy. He wasn't as practiced in magic as Donald, or even Sora, but he seemed to get the hang of it pretty easily. He enjoyed it; he needed it.

"Sorry," Sora said, placing the orb carefully in one of his side pockets. "I won't let you destroy yourself. I'm going to give this to Donald tomorrow, and he'll be in charge of Cure. You won't be getting any until you learn your limits." He turned to leave, but was stopped by Roxas clinging to his legs.

"Wait," he pleaded. "Don't take that from me. Yen-Sid gave it to me, not you. It's mine." He tried to calmly reach into Sora's pocket, but he was pushed back on the ground of the tent.

"I'm sorry," Sora repeated. He seemed to be genuinely remorseful, but Roxas still felt the anger boiling up in him as Sora stepped out of the tent. He was left in the dark once more with the wounded soldiers. Their labored breathing haunted him. If only he'd been more careful, this wouldn't have happened.

Roxas felt hot tears of frustration prickle at the back of his eyes, but staved them off. Now was not the time to cry, but the time to act. Sora would never give him the orb back, but that didn't mean he couldn't steal it. The brunette would sleep eventually. All he needed to do was be a little patient, and then he could take back his prize.

He left the tent to go sit by the fire with the healthy soldiers and the Captain. Ping, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had already gone to sleep, but this group was on watch duty. They told him he could go to sleep if he wanted, but he protested. If he laid down, he would fall asleep. He couldn't do that until he took care of the soldiers, and he couldn't do that until he stole the magic orb away from Sora. He had to stay awake until he was sure Sora was asleep.

Roxas traded stories with the soldiers, mostly about his life in Twilight Town and some fragments he pieced together about Sora's life. He didn't trust them enough to tell them about his time in Organization XIII. Besides, it could get back to Sora and the others if he started talking about that. Better to lie low on that front and not tell anyone.

It was the thick of the night, so dark that Roxas could barely see outside of the ring of fire, when Captain Shang told him to go to sleep. He was nodding sleepily where he sat, dozing off for a few seconds before snapping himself awake. He tried to hide it, but the Captain insisted and he finally complied. Besides, he thought, Sora was probably asleep by then.

He found the four sleeping on the floor of the tent in a sort of huddle, blankets thrown over them to conserve warmth in the frigid air. Sora was on the end, his breathing soft and even. He was most definitely asleep by now.

Roxas crept over to the sleeping form, noting with some distaste that Sora was covered with at least two thick blankets. He wouldn't be able to get the orb easily. Scowling, Roxas dropped to his knees to gently ease the blankets away from the brunette's body.

A violent shudder made him jump and drop the corner he had managed to lift. He cursed himself for being so stupid. If he lifted the blanket, Sora would wake up. He would have to crawl under it to get to his pocket and the cure orb.

Easing slowly down onto his side, Roxas pushed himself under inch after agonizing inch of crushing fabric. He kept one eye on Sora to make sure the brunette wouldn't wake up, but there was no change in his demeanor. Holding his breath the rest of the way, Roxas managed to get completely under the blanket without anyone waking up. He faced Sora, literally two inches from the other boy's nose, so he could keep an eye on him. If the brunette woke up now, he could just pretend to sleep until he dropped off again. Easy; but he still felt nervous about the whole thing.

Roxas felt around under the blanket until he found Sora's hip, thankfully still clad in his black cargo pants. He slid around blindly, searching for the pocket Sora put Cure in. It took him a long time, which puzzled him. It shouldn't take that long to find a stupid pocket. He became so distracted that he even looked down, even though he knew he couldn't actually see anything.

When he found the pocket, a huge grin spread across his face. He felt a hard little ball in there-his Cure-and knew this was the final step. He would take it back, use it on the wounded soldiers, and then come back to sleep. His mood increased drastically as he fumbled with the buckles on the pocket.

A hand closed around his wrist and he jumped, looking up in blue eyes that were very much awake. Roxas' eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to try to tell Sora it wasn't what it looked like, but the brunette shook his head.

"Just go to sleep, Roxas," he said quietly. He grasped both of the blonde's hands and held them to his chest. "Things will be better in the morning." He wrapped arms around the other boy and pulled him close against his body. Roxas was confused at first until he realized that his arms were completely pinned; he couldn't move them at all.

"Let me go," Roxas said, struggling. Sora just held faster.

"Do you want the others to wake up?" he hissed. "Go to sleep. You need your rest and so do we. Those soldiers will be fine; they can wait until the morning." Roxas ceased, defeated for the moment. He wasn't about to give up, though…Sora would fall asleep again, and his grip would go slack. He would try again then.

The thing was, though: When you were already tired, and on top of that lying still under warm blankets, it was really hard to stay awake. Roxas put up a good effort, but it wasn't long before he lost the battle and let himself fall into dark bliss.


	7. Land of Dragons I Part 3

AN: Wow, I suck. I'm sorry I took a month on this chapter. My computer was broken and with school there was little time to work on it. But it's fixed now, so hopefully things will get done more quickly.

Don't expect anything great in this chapter. I'm noticing a pattern of suckiness which may just apply to me by this point. Maybe I'm just bad at this...

Anyway, enjoy the crap.

Disclaimer: I don't own it

* * *

A loud boom awoke Roxas the next morning. He started, sitting bolt upright, but something pushed him back down. He struggled, thinking he was trapped in the blankets, but found it was an arm holding him down which only tightened the more he struggled.

"Wha…?" Roxas looked behind him to find Sora's blue eyes staring back at him, very much wide awake. He tried to pull the arm away, but the brunet simply tightened his grip again. "What are you doing?" he growled, infinitely frustrated.

"Just go back to sleep," Sora said quietly. "It's nothing to worry about. Go to sleep." Roxas raised his head to look around the tent. The other occupants were missing, leaving them the only two still residing in the pile of blankets.

"Where are the others?" he asked, mimicking Sora's soft tone without fully knowing why.

"Outside," Sora said, not bothering to elaborate. Roxas waited, but when nothing else was said he frowned in annoyance.

"What's going on, Sora? Let me up." He tried to sit up again, but the brunet shook his head and pushed him down. Roxas growled at him, starting to get pissed off now. "Let me up," he repeated.

"No," Sora said adamantly. The stubborn look on his face made it all too obvious that he wasn't going to let up on this. "Trust me, you don't want to know what's happening out there. Just stay in here for a little while; get some more sleep." Roxas might have been more inclined to just listen to him if the brunet hadn't had such a stiff look on his face instead of the usual smile that occupied its place. As it was, Roxas wasn't in a very listening mood anyway.

"Let go!" He clawed at the arm with both hands, trying to pull it off him so he could get out of the tent. Sora tried to hold on, but Roxas was just as strong as he was. He found himself having to put up an actual struggle to keep Roxas pinned. But Roxas had a few tricks up his sleeve he wasn't expecting.

Roxas bit one of Sora's fingers, which had landed near his face. The brunet yelped, jumping off him in surprise, and he took the chance to scramble out of the tent onto the snowy ground.

What he saw made him stop in his tracks. The soldiers-more than last night-were standing in a circle around a burning pyre with their heads bowed. A used cannon sat discarded outside the circle, abandoned for the moment. Roxas approached the pyre slowly, peering into the flickering flames. Blackened skeletons were clearly visible in the midst, making the smoke black and sending an awful smell into the air. Roxas shot a glance at the first aid tent. It was closed, but he didn't need to look inside to know it was empty.

"They died sometime during the night," a voice said behind him. He didn't need to turn to know it was Sora. The brunet entered his line of vision, staring at the ceremony. "Some of them were okay; the ones you healed were fine by morning. But the bad ones…" he shook his head. "I told you that you wouldn't like it." He looked at the blonde, who continued to stare at the pyre steadily. "Are you okay?" Roxas didn't answer, simply turned and began walking away from the camp.

Sora was following him, he knew, but at enough of a distance that they weren't obligated to keep talking. He didn't know what Sora was thinking he was going to do, but he was only leaving just so he wouldn't have to look at it anymore.Ω

He couldn't believe they had died so quickly. Okay, that was a lie; wounds from Heartless didn't heal very quickly, if ever. Roxas knew that the only thing that had kept some of them alive was his magic. If only he'd been able to cure the rest of them…then none would have died. All of them would be healthy and ready for battle instead of burning in the middle of an empty camp. If only Sora hadn't taken that Cure away from him.

A rush of anger clouded his vision for a moment, making him stop short. He couldn't help himself from blaming Sora for this happening. It was the brunet's fault for making him stop. If only he hadn't interfered, everything would be fine.

"Roxas?" The traitor dared to stop beside him, to look him in the face. Roxas glared back, putting all his hate and anger into that gaze. Sora faltered, but didn't back down. "Are you okay?"

Roxas' anger exploded then, and he pushed Sora with enough force to knock him backwards into a pile of snow. The brunet came up spluttering, wiping away the cold crystals, but was pushed backwards by Roxas' foot on his chest. Cold blue eyes glared at the Keyblade Master, helpless under him. If needed, Roxas knew he could take him. The Keyblades weren't just for fighting Heartless. He pressed down harder; hard enough to feel Sora's quickened heartbeat through the sole of his shoe. The other boy stared at him with large, scared eyes. He hadn't even made an attempt to escape yet.

"It's your fault," Roxas heard himself say. "They died because you wouldn't let me help them. I should kill you for that." He pushed his foot forward to Sora's throat, where he could easily crush the windpipe if he wanted to. The boy swallowed loudly, the fear in his eyes evident. Anger welled up in him again. He was expecting some fight, at least; some way for him to release his anger at the Keyblade Master; a way to hurt him. But the stupid boy was just sitting there. Roxas growled and pressed, drawing a choke from the brunet. "Well? Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" Sora shook his head as best he could with Roxas' foot pinning his neck down.

"I know it's my fault," he said quickly, as if fearing his voice alone would be enough to provoke Roxas into crushing his throat. "But…I don't regret doing it." Roxas was so shocked by that that he didn't even get angry, just waited for Sora to go on. "If those soldiers had been saved," Sora continued, "You would have died. There's not enough motivation in the world to make me want you dead, and you're more important than anyone we meet on some world." Sora looked ashamed as he said this and averted his eyes from the blonde. "You mean…a lot to me, Roxas."

Roxas stared in shock at the boy under him, aware of the tension that had crept into the air. He lifted his foot away from Sora's neck and backed off, letting him sit up and rub his neck.

"You're lying," Roxas said, without any real conviction. He felt tired, like he had just run a long way without stopping. The anger had fed from his energy to fuel his adrenaline, leaving him drained. He had been irrational and he knew it. It was stupid to blame Sora for what had happened. It wasn't his fault, or even Roxas' fault. The only ones to blame were the Heartless. Roxas had to focus his energy on defeating them, not fighting amongst his allies.

"Come on," Roxas said, holding out a hand to help Sora up. "Let's go back to the camp." He looked away, embarrassed. "I don't suppose you could…you know…" Sora smiled.

"I won't say anything," he said. "You can count on me."

The others were still gathered around the dying fire when Sora and Roxas returned. Some soldiers were still praying, but Ping and the Captain looked up at their arrival. Ping smiled and moved to join them.

"Where'd you guys go?" she whispered to them so the others couldn't hear. "Donald and Goofy went looking for you after the ceremony was finished."

"Just for a walk," Sora said, shrugging. "We'll wait for them here."

"Wait," the Captain said as they began to walk off. "We're moving further up the mountain. Some of Shan-Yu's army is rumored to be up there; we can probably ambush them if we're careful."

"Hmmm…don't their forces outnumber us?" Sora asked skeptically.

"Number won't matter if we have the element of surprise on our side. Don't worry," the Captain said confidently. "This will be a great victory for the Chinese army." Roxas could see through the false sense of greatness the Captain was exuding. Their army was small and not nearly as powerful as Shan-Yu's. The Captain was sending them on a suicide mission to save face. He didn't want to look weak just because more than half his army was now made up of yellow-eyed Heartless.

While Roxas didn't agree with what he was doing, he didn't say anything about it. There was nowhere else for them to go but up. They couldn't even get to the city unless they went through that town. There was no guarantee that the Heartless were gone, and Roxas wasn't willing to face those centaur Heartless again. He was as guilty of cowardice as the Captain. Funny, really, that cowardice involved going toe-to-toe with a bigger, stronger army. Then again, while they were scary enough, the huns were human. The worst they could do was kill them.

"We'll just go get ready, then," Sora said, grabbing Roxas' arm and dragging him along. When they were out of earshot of the others, he threw up his arms and let loose an explosive sigh.

"Is he completely mental?! He does know we're going to die, doesn't he? Does he care?" Sora sighed, crouching down on the snowy ground. "I have half a mind to get Donald and Goofy and just leave here now before we're killed or turned into Heartless." Roxas crouched down next to him.

"You know we can't do that," the blonde said. "Donald and Goofy wouldn't approve, anyway." He smiled. "Come on, it won't be too hard. Kill a few Huns, save the day, move on to another world. It's not very hard to do. We'll be fine." Sora sighed again.

"I'm not used to fighting humans," he mumbled. Roxas blinked at him. So that was the reason, was it? He didn't want to kill a human?

"They're evil, you know," Roxas said. "They wouldn't think twice about killing you, without any reason. They're just like Heartless." Sora shook his head.

"Heartless don't bleed," he said simply. After that, he refused to say anything about the matter. He didn't say he was going to fight, but then again he didn't say he wasn't, either. Roxas left it alone. It wasn't something he felt he had the right to push, despite how close he and Sora had become lately. Barring the scene back in the woods, he would almost call them friends. No, actually, they were friends. It didn't need to be said, but it was very much implied. They were definitely friends.

Donald and Goofy returned to the camp, slightly pissed that Sora and Roxas had gone back to the camp before they found them. When Sora told them the Captain's plan, they confessed that they already knew about it.

"This is their world," Donald said regretfully. "We can't change their minds from what they want to do. We don't have the authority." He shrugged. "The only thing we can do is fight beside them, and hope for the best." Roxas for one didn't want to leave something as important as his life up to chance, but he didn't want to abandon this world. He would fight as long as he was needed. Maybe not enthusiastically, but he would never back down.

"I guess we have no choice," Roxas said.

The battalion moved out when the sun was high in the sky. They had to make it to the top of the mountain before sundown to even hope for a chance at catching Shan-Yu by surprise. Nothing was left behind; nobody knew if the camp would still be there when they returned, or even if they would be returning anytime soon. Spirits were low but nothing was said in protest. Quiet acceptance reigned over the group as they trudged through the cold snow.

Roxas wasn't scared, or so he told himself. He repeated over and over that he wasn't going to die. He wasn't going to die. He wasn't going to die. He believed it as much as possible, because hopelessness would kill him. Maybe optimism would too, but at least he wouldn't go down in low spirits that way.

He shivered; from the cold, he told himself. He didn't have much more than a single jacket to cover himself with. It was all they could find at the camp. Whatever happened to the soldiers that had been there last, they didn't leave behind very much when they fled. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"Here." Roxas turned to find Sora holding a tiny flame cupped between his hands, suspended on seemingly nothing. He held it out to Roxas. "Take it," he said. "You'll need it to stay warm. You can't run on just adrenaline." Roxas stared blankly at the small flame. If he touched it, he would get burnt. Sora was offering it to him like it was a solid object. The brunet chuckled.

"Sorry. It's so natural for Donald and I to use it that I forgot you didn't know how. Hold out your hand." Roxas did, cautiously. He watched as Sora aligned their hands carefully so the flame was flickering almost on his palm. Instinctively, he tried to pull his hand away, but Sora grasped his wrist tightly to keep it in place. "Don't worry," he said calmly. "You won't get burnt." Despite his assurances, Roxas was still worried. He kept his hand where it was, however.

"You're going to have to keep a weak barrier up to keep the flame from reaching your skin. It's really simple to do; even beginner magicians can do it." Sora grinned. "Just imagine a sort of fire-proof glove on your hands. Concentrate all your energy on just them. It may take some time to get used to, but once you do you'll be able to do this without even thinking." Roxas was still skeptical, but did as he was asked. He flinched as Sora lowered his hand holding the flame down until their palms touched. He expected searing pain and horrible burns, but he felt nothing. When Sora removed his hand, a little ball of fire was resting in his palm.

Roxas stared in wonder at the flickering ball, entranced. He didn't have much experience with magic, and to be able to do something like this…Sora claimed it was a simple thing to do, but he felt like he had conquered a huge obstacle.

"Wow, this is…amazing." For such a little ball, it let off so much heat! Roxas felt warmth envelope his entire body and smiled. With the warmth came calm. Not the calm of pretending he was ready for a battle like this, but the calm of knowing he could take on their enemies if he tried. He knew now, without a doubt, that he would make it out of this alive.

"If you think that's amazing, just wait." Sora elbowed him in the side as they continued walking. "When we get out of here, I'll teach you a lot more magic, and how to control it. You'll be as powerful as Donald before you know it." Roxas grinned at that thought. Being on the same level as Donald, being his equal, would kill the irate duck. He already despised Roxas, and on top of that would have to deal with the blonde being as powerful as him. Roxas vowed to learn quickly and reach that point as soon as possible.

The trek was a little easier now that he had heat. Sora kept him company too, so he wasn't left alone with his thoughts. Gradually, the entire troupe eased up. None of them had seen neither hide nor hair of Shan-Yu or his Huns the entire trip. The possibility that the rumors were false buzzed around every head. Every soldier wanted them to be wrong. Every soldier wanted to be alive by the end of the day.

"It's getting warmer," Sora speculated randomly. Roxas gave him a look, but felt it in the air. It was getting warmer. The once-thick snow was giving way to mush, with dark mud dampening the bright white color. Since they were going up a mountain, this was strange. The only thing that would cause this much melting in such an area was an abundance of gunpowder activity.

Every soldier was on their toes, looking around warily for sneak attacks. Unfortunately, they never saw the first one coming. The high pitch of an arrow whistling through the air was all the troupe heard. A soldier went down, and all hell broke loose.

Huns and Heartless alike jumped from the trees down on the group. Their sneak attack, the only plan they had, had been foiled with an alternate sneak attack. Roxas cursed, jumping into the fight. A Heartless must have heard their plan and told Shan-Yu.

Roxas tried to fight near the others, but he was soon separated and surrounded by what seemed like hundreds of Heartless, with a few Huns peppered in. He soon found that, while the Heartless were falling quickly with a simple slash of his Keyblades, his prized weapons had all but no effect on the Huns. Of course; they were humans. Still, he pressed on, using the environment to his advantage.

He wasn't scared, unlike in the cave. But he wasn't foolish enough to call himself brave. More like instinct was overcoming the fear in him to keep him alive. The will to live was stronger than anything he would normally be feeling, and so he was numb, swinging his Keyblades without abandon in the dim hope that he might come out of the situation alive.

The smoke from defeated Heartless was so thick in the air that he could barely see. The Huns still in the crowd were hard to see, even as the mass of Heartless dissipated. Roxas could feel the pinpricks of swords stabbing into him like a distant thing. Even in the state he was, he knew the wounds were shallow and easily healed. All his moving around was saving him from any lethal wounds. But even in shock as he was, he had no idea how long he could keep it up. In the back of his mind, he knew that this could only end in one way, and his strikes began to slow. He was done.

A sudden rumbling knocked him off his feet, straight into a snow drift. He came up spluttering, wiping snow off his face, blinking it out of his eyes and looking around for the source of the disturbance.

A wall of snow, broken off from the adjacent mountain, was racing down the slope. Heartless were disappearing under its white rampage while Huns and Soldiers alike were running as fast as they could away from it. Some were still being swept under, he could see, and surely killed. He knew that staying where he was would surely leave him dead as well, but he couldn't move. He could only watch as his death rushed towards him, like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

"…as! Roxas!!" Roxas became aware that something had a hold of his arm and was tugging. He blinked up at the figure, whose name escaped him. Brown hair and eyes, a panicked expression…oh yeah, it was Sora. Shouldn't he be running?

The blonde just blinked stupidly, unsure of what the brunet was trying to say. He couldn't understand a word coming out of the other's mouth, though he was sure it was frantic. He was gesturing wildly and tugging harder than ever. But it was like a horror movie on mute. You could see the horror going on, but it just didn't have the same effect when you couldn't hear the screams.

His perspective changed, and suddenly he was staring at the snowy ground as it went by, something hard pressing painfully into his shoulder. He was bouncing up and down and he couldn't breathe. His instinct told him to struggle, so he did. All he got from that was a jolt in the ribs, so he stopped and simply stared at the snow.

Roxas caught a last glimpse of the snow approaching before he was practically hurtled at a dark rock. A sharp pain in his head was all he felt before darkness overcame him.

--

"Don't drink that purple stuff!!" Roxas sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. He had been having a dream about being back at Organization XIII. Vexen was trying to poison Axel, who had overheated some of his precious chemicals and made their containers explode. He chuckled, remembering it was a dream and he wasn't there anymore. Actually, he couldn't even remember if that had really happened or not. Not that he wanted to remember that place.

A hand ran softly through his hair and he jumped. Sora, sitting to his right, sighed, his hand still hanging in the air.

"The lump is going down," he said smiling. "I used a little bit of Cure on you, to stop the bleeding, but I didn't dare use any more. How do you feel?" Roxas shrugged. He looked around, realizing they were in one of the tents in the empty camp they'd found.

"Okay, I guess. What happened?"

"You smashed your head on a rock. We were all hiding back there from the avalanche. The Captain wasn't exactly concerned with being gentle when he grabbed you." He sighed. "Not like you were being very cooperative. I would have done it too if I could have lifted you."

"Oh…so that's what that was." Roxas rubbed the back of his head gingerly, feeling the raised, tender skin. "I'll have to thank him. Where are the others anyway?" Sora was silent, staring at the floor. Roxas sat up straighter, sensing an answer he wouldn't want to hear.

"Sora…?" The brunet shifted uncomfortably.

"They…they're not here anymore. They've gone." Roxas blinked.

"Don't tell me they've…they're not…" He couldn't say it. They couldn't be dead, they just couldn't. He was just getting used to them, just becoming friends with them. They couldn't die just like that without any warning. It wasn't possible.

"They're not dead," Sora said hurriedly. "The soldiers, they've…gone." Roxas let out a huge whoosh of air, relieved beyond words.

"They went on ahead of us? Okay, where are we meeting them?" He stood up, pushing the blankets off of himself. He spotted his clothes folded next to him and began dressing. They felt cleaner than before for some reason. Maybe being immersed in snow had done that. He was slipping on his shirt when he realized Sora had fallen silent again. He stared at the boy, who was avoiding his gaze.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He knelt down beside Sora, trying to get the brunet to look at him. He looked upset for some reason. "Come on, tell me what happened." Sora bit his lip, looking like he was trying not to cry.

"It's my fault," he said unsteadily. "It's all my fault…" He rested his head against Roxas' shoulder; hiding, it seemed, from what he was trying to say. Roxas allowed it, running a hand up and down the other boy's back comfortingly.

"What happened?" He repeated, his curiosity overpowering the need to comfort his other half. "Tell me. Please…"

"She's been found out." Sora sniffled loudly. "The Captain found out she was a girl."

"Mulan?" That was her real name, after all. Despite this revelation, he was surprisingly calm. "How did he find out?" Sora sniffled again before answering.

"She…she got hurt. Donald and I were trying to heal her before anyone saw, but…" he paused, shaking. Roxas waited impatiently for the reply, but didn't say anything to prompt the brunet. He was upset enough already.

"We weren't…paying attention," he choked. "The Captain came in to check on her, and she was in plain view…without her armor. She tried to apologize…explain…but he didn't listen. He almost k-killed her." Sora broke off into a loud sob. Roxas tried to calm him, gathering him into a tight embrace.

"Shh, shh, it's okay. It was an accident."

"It…wasn't! If we'd only b-been more careful…" Roxas sighed. Obviously, Sora was torn up about this. But he failed to see the big picture. This world was safe now. They could leave. Sure, Mulan got the short end of the stick and had to go home in disgrace, but there was nothing they could do about that now.

The tent flap opened and a young girl with dark, shoulder-length hair wearing civilian clothes entered. Roxas had to stare for a moment before realizing it was Mulan.

"Hey…is he okay?" Sora didn't look up, but Roxas shook his head. For all intents and purposes, Sora wouldn't be okay for a while.

"He's taking the whole thing pretty hard," he said. The girl-with those clothes on she was most certainly a girl-knelt down beside them, stretching out a hand but stopping before she made contact.

"Sora…" she said quietly, more soft-spoken than ever. "Sora, it's not your fault. Please, come outside and eat." Sora remained stubbornly silent. His sobs had subsided, but he kept his head buried in Roxas' shoulder, clinging like a helpless babe. Frankly, Roxas found it annoying. Sora was supposed to be the almighty Keyblade Master. Yet so far, he seemed to be a weakling to him. It was getting ridiculous, really, how much he seemed to cling to Roxas. The blonde wanted to be there for the brunet, sure. That was what friends did after all. But he couldn't stand it when Sora just broke down like this and leaned on him solely for support.

It wasn't simply annoyance that made him think this way, though. It was the thought of letting Sora down that made him not want to be his confidante. It was scary how much he feared something so stupid.

"Sora," he said curtly. The brunet still didn't move. Roxas sighed. "I'm going outside now, with or without you. Are you coming?" There was a long pause, in which Roxas thought he was simply going to not answer, and then the brunet nodded, standing up when Roxas did and stepping back, wiping at his eyes.

Sora silently followed behind Mulan and Roxas as they made their way towards a campfire in the center of the empty camp. Donald and Goofy were cooking up some leftover food in a pot over the fire. They looked up as the trio approached.

"So, what do we do now?" Roxas asked, sitting cross-legged near the fire. Sora sat next to him, silent for the moment.

"We should go after 'em," Goofy said. "Try an' convince 'em that Mulan was only doin' what she thought best. They've gotta believe us!"

"Yeah, we'll make them reinstate you!" Donald threw in, jumping around excitedly at just the idea. Mulan simply shook her head, smiling around at her circle of friends.

"Thanks, but I think I'm done with the army." She sighed. "Besides, Shan-Yu is dead. The war is over. I just want to go home now. I'll return with dishonor, but I want to see my father and mother again."

"Want us ta take ya back?" Goofy offered. Mulan shook her head again.

"I'll have Mushu with me. We'll go back together." She stared sadly at a little rock just outside the camp. Closer inspection revealed that Mushu was curled up on it, a splatter of red against the gray background. "He's taking this hard. He'll be dishonored when he returns home, too. It won't be a happy homecoming." She sighed before a true smile crossed her face. "I'm lucky to have met you guys. I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did if you hadn't helped me."

"Yeah, but…because 'a us you were dishonorably discharged. Aren't ya mad at us?" Mulan shrugged.

"What's happened has happened. Nothing's going to change that." Roxas nodded in agreement. That same philosophy could be applied to many aspects of his own life.

"You know…I don't have much of an appetite." Mulan stood up, dusting snow from her clothes. "I think Mushu and I will start the trek home; it's pretty far away." She held out a hand to Roxas. The blonde stared at her a moment before shaking it. She smiled. "I guess this is goodbye, huh?" The others were grave as she moved around the circle to say goodbye. Roxas was regretful that it had to end this way. He felt a connection with Mulan that he didn't believe the others had. They were kindred spirits; specks of sanity on the twisted ride they called life. Or insanity, depending on how one looked at it. Either way, he was sad that things had to end this way. He wished there were some way they could just do something to help. Anything…

Mulan gathered her belongings, what little she had, and slipped on a heavier coat. There was still a long walk through the mountains before she reached warmth. Mushu was a depressed puddle, but somehow Mulan coaxed him to climb into her coat. It was almost sad to see the little dragon like that, when he'd been so full of life before. Sure, Roxas hadn't liked him that way, but he found he liked him less this way.

"Goodbye," she called back, waving one last time before walking down the ill-defined path towards home.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!" The loud yell made the company jump. Heads snapped towards the top of the mountain, where the sound originated. Mulan stopped in her tracks, staring in horror at the source of the noise. Roxas was certain they were thinking the same thing: _Please don't let that be what I think that is._

As one, the four around the fire rose to join Mulan, who was already racing towards the cliff jutting out from the mountain. From there, a clear view was allowed all the way to the top. From there as well, their greatest fear was realized: Shan-Yu, very much alive, was departing from the avalanche-covered snow peak on a flying Heartless. Their battle was not yet over.

For several seconds, the bare echoes of the loud scream were the only sound in the complete silence of the company. Then an uttered curse from a certain blonde snapped everyone back to the present, and there was a flurry of motion.

Food was gathered, the fire was extinguished with snow, and weapons were summoned. The calm that had fallen over the camp just a minute ago had shattered, leaving a panic in its wake. Roxas cursed himself for thinking it was over. He cursed himself for thinking they could leave just like that.

"He's headed towards the city!" Mulan called from the cliff, watching the Heartless and Shan-Yu fly further and further away with each passing second. The others were at her side in a minute, watching, astounded at the speed of such an obviously large Heartless. There was no way they could get there before Shan-Yu did.

"We can't make it. It's just not possible." Mushu crumpled into apathy after his short burst of adrenaline following Shan-Yu's revealed survival. Mulan was obviously not as pessimistic, as she unsheathed her father's sword.

"We have to try," she said determinedly, making her way down the mountain path. The others followed; prepared for a battle they might or might not have to fight.

The way down was surprisingly clear of Heartless. Roxas, rather than taking this as a good sign, took it as a bad omen. The fewer Heartless that blocked their way, the more he knew must be attacking the city with Shan-Yu. He didn't want to think of what would happen with that many Heartless if they couldn't get there in time.

The town they had abandoned after it was overrun with Heartless was almost completely buried in snow. There was nothing left of the town except the walls surrounding it and a few scarce planks of wood. It was a completely dead place, literally and figuratively.

There was no time to stop and reminisce, though; they had to keep going forward, towards the city.

--

"Who will oppose me now?! Any who dare may step forward!"

The city was in a panic over the capture of the Emperor. High up on the tallest balcony, Shan-Yu held him hostage at the point of his infamous sword. The Emperor looked on with a quiet dignity, revealing neither panic nor anger to his foe. The people feared for their great leader. The soldiers had a battering ram and were attempting to get inside the palace. It would never work, though; several Heartless were attacking the soldiers in turn, and too many were occupied with fighting the terrors off.

Sora and company arrived in the city with difficulty. Two of Shan-Yu's henchmen were standing guard at the gate and fought the five who tried to enter. They were easily cut down, but the press of people trying to escape hindered their advance greatly.

"We're too late," Mulan said despairingly. "What should we do?" Sora and Roxas summoned their Keyblades in unison, twin looks of determination decorating their faces.

"We fight," the said, rushing onward through the crowd. The other three shared a glance before quickly following.

"Shang!" Mulan called out to the Captain on the stairs, fighting off a Shadow Heartless. He looked up at the sound of her voice, his face surprised for a moment before turning angry.

"You are not a soldier!" He finished with a grunt as he stabbed the Shadow through its belly, effectively killing it. He straightened, suave as ever, to glare at Mulan. "You are of no use here." Mulan countered with a scowl of her own.

"Maybe not," she said. "But these four are. I don't think you're in any position to reject help right now, regardless of the source." The Captain looked around at the company.

"All of you are unwelcome. You have dishonored my army, and China. We do not need your help."

"Oh, yeah," Roxas said sardonically, "I can see how great you're doing on your own. The Emperor and Shan-Yu are just having a friendly little chat up there, aren't they? Nope, he's not in danger at all." The Captain winced. Roxas knew he struck a low blow, but if the Captain was going to oppose them it would make their job all that much more difficult. Much worse, the Emperor might be killed and Shan-Yu could win. They couldn't let that happen.

"You are not part of the army," the Captain said hesitantly. "But if you want to work separately…there is nothing I can do to stop you." A wave of relief washed over them all. Finally, something could get done.

"Tell your troops to move," Sora ordered. He and Donald moved into position in front of the massive doors. They held out their respective weapons, aiming them at the very center. A red glow appeared at the tips, angry and powerful. It built up and up until the duo released them on the door, blowing it into red splinters. The door, along with a guard just inside, was no more.

Troops rushed in all at once, pushing past the charred remains into the cavernous entranceway. Mulan hung back, however, staring at the underside of the balcony. Sora and company stopped, waiting for her to follow, but she just continued staring.

"Mulan," Roxas called. "Come on. We can go save the Emperor now."

"They'll never make it in time," she said. "Shan-Yu must have heard that explosion. He'll know rescue is coming and will kill him." She lowered her gaze. "We have to climb up there another way."

"What?" Roxas frowned. "How? You mean…?" He looked around; the only things even remotely possible to climb were the pillars. "How can we climb those?"

"It can be done. Trust me." She pulled a sash from around her waist and slung it around the nearest pillar. "If you guys can't do it, I'll go on ahead. Someone has to save him or we're all doomed." To their amazement, she began to climb the pillar with ease, using the sash to propel herself upwards. The others glanced at each other, wondering, before climbing up after her. It was much easier than it looked, though still more difficult than Mulan made it seem.

Mulan disappeared from sight at the top. For a second, they panicked, until they heard the clang of swords. She was fighting Shan-Yu. They sped up their climb, knowing she could handle herself but also not wanting to leave her alone for a minute.

The spark of sword against sword lit the small space of the balcony like many fireworks. How appropriate, considering the celebration that had been taking place mere moments before Shan-Yu's attack. While the gray-skinned china man was a skilled fighter, the four could see that Mulan was holding her own. She had certainly learned much during her time in the army.

The Emperor had back up a safe distance from the fighting, down a small pathway hugging the palace that wasn't apparent from the ground below. Sora, Roxas, Donald and Goofy moved in front of him, protection in case Shan-Yu decided to go after the wise old man. They needn't have worried, however; Shan-Yu was more than occupied with Mulan.

"Do you really think that you, a woman, can defeat me, the strongest opposition China has ever known?" Shan-Yu sneered this at Mulan as he lunged, just barely blocked by Mulan's steel. She growled back.

"You'd be surprised what I can do when my country is at stake." She pushed him back, making him stumble. He caught himself in time to block her. His eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"How can a woman even think of being anywhere near the level of fighting I'm at? You cannot be human. You must be a demon of some sort." Mulan smirked.

"Yeah, that's right; a demon. I've come from hell to drag you down with me." She stepped back, falling into a defensive stance with her sword. "Rest assured, if both of us have to go, it will be so. Your blood with be spilled on this day, Shan-Yu!" Angered beyond words, Shan-Yu rushed at Mulan, murderous intent obvious in his eyes. At the last second, Mulan dropped her sword, ducking his weapon and butting right into Shan-Yu's stomach. Caught off-guard, he stumbled back, tripping on the edge of the balcony and tumbling backwards onto the stone ground far below.

Mulan walked cautiously towards the edge, peering over at the body of Shan-Yu. A shriek went up in the air and the others rushed to her side, staring at the spectacle before them. The Heartless, upon realizing Shan-Yu was weak, had chosen to devour his body. The screams of the terrible man raked on their ears harshly, forcing them all to clamp their hands over them and shut their eyes to keep the image of horror away. When they looked back, the body of Shan-Yu was gone, and the Heartless had vanished.

It was done.

--

All of China, it seemed, had gathered at the Imperial City in the span of less than a day. Of course, it didn't hurt that at least half the population was there to begin with.

Roxas stared out at the sea of faces, along with Sora, Donald and Goofy. Mulan was standing in front of the Emperor, a look of shame on her face. The Emperor had not said what her fate was to be, but they knew she was scared that she would be put to death for entering the army as a woman.

"You don't think they would really be that hard on her, do you?" Roxas whispered to Sora. The brunet shrugged.

"I don't really know. This place has different rules. Maybe saving China isn't enough to break the rules." A hush fell over the crowd and the company as the Emperor raised his hand for silence.

"Fa Mulan," he said regally, addressing the scared girl before him. She bowed respectfully before the old man. "I have heard a great deal about you," he continued. "You stole your father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated a soldier…" Mulan flinched at having her crimes numbered. The Emperor's voice raised as he listed more. "…Deceived your commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese army, destroyed my palace! And…" Mulan trembled, waiting to hear her sentence. There was a pregnant pause in which nobody within the city dared to breath.

"…You have saved us all."

Mulan looked up, shocked, abandoning her bow. To her surprise, the Emperor himself bowed to her. The soldiers behind him followed suit, as well as Sora and company. She turned slowly to find that the entire company of the city was bowing. All she could do was stare in awe. Bowing to a woman was…unheard of.

"You have earned my trust and my immunity," the Emperor said, straightening. Mulan whipped around, the look of shock still present on her face. "You will not be imprisoned or killed, but instead awarded with the highest honors this country has to offer. You have done a great thing, Fa Mulan, and we thank you."

"Guess that's our cue to go," Sora whispered. "We're not needed here anymore. With Shan-Yu gone, the Heartless will move on. We need to keep moving to keep up with them." Roxas nodded in agreement. He liked this world, but he knew the time had come to move on to somewhere that needed them more.

"Let's go," the blonde said, grinning.

Onto a new world; a new adventure.


	8. Beast's Castle I Part 1

AN: Hey ya'll, I'm back for an update! And guess what? I actually like this chapter! I got really inspired and just sat down to write yesterday and today. I was so happy to finish it. Oh, and there's something you guys might like at the very end of the chapter.

Belle is a little OOC in this. Sorry, I got a little carried away. I don't think she would actually act like that, but it seems like an interesting scenario. And since she's never seen Roxas before, she would obviously be suspicious. Maybe I just like drama.

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter; it is now my favorite to date.

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

* * *

It wasn't sorrow that Roxas felt as he and the others lifted off in the Gummi Ship from the Land of Dragons, but rather a sense of completeness; the sense of their task being done. This was what he told himself as he ignored the pang in his chest. They had never formally said goodbye to Mulan, and he would admit to forming a sort of bond with the Chinese girl. Still, he was technically a Nobody; Nobody's couldn't feel.

They couldn't stay, even if he would admit to wanting to. They were done; the threat was gone. Other worlds needed their help, and personal reasons couldn't get in the way of that all-important quest.

Roxas sighed, staring out the front of the ship at the stars flying by. Sora, Donald, and Goofy sat in the other chairs. They were having a conversation it seemed, but Roxas felt no need to join in. Thinking was more his forte, as opposed to talking.

Absent-mindedly, Roxas tried to summon the fire that Sora had taught him to control on the mountain; but it wouldn't appear. Maybe it was like Cure. Maybe it needed to be channeled first before appearing. That made him sad. Fire always comforted him for some reason. It burned sometimes, but at the right distance it was beautiful to watch. He snapped his fingers together soundlessly a few times, as if by friction alone he could summon the fire to his hand. He shouldn't have been so disappointed when nothing happened. He wasn't Axel, after all.

Speaking of his old friend…he had to wonder where he'd gotten to. Xemnas was cruel and loved to exert his control over the members of his Organization. He knew Axel and Roxas had been friends, and that's why he sent him to get him from Twilight Town…or, actually, to kill him. Roxas was willing to bet that Xemnas wasn't expecting Roxas to go back. He expected his former leader to use Axel even more to try and stop him. Maybe it was because he really didn't know he existed anymore and thought there was no point. Still, he could hurt Axel by sending the pyromaniac after Sora. He hadn't seen him once since their fight, when he was supposed to fuse with Sora.

"…Next world isn't so far…" Roxas looked up, realizing that they could see a new world coming up on the radar. They would be there soon. Roxas was willing to bet it would be just as hard to secure at the Land of Dragons. The Heartless were ruthless, and wouldn't give up a world so easily.

"Hey…" Roxas looked up to find Sora looking at him, smiling.

"Want me to teach you some magic before we land?" Roxas smiled back at the brunet, glad to have been pulled out of his depressing thoughts.

"Yeah," he said simply, standing up and following the other to the bedroom in the back. Donald and Goofy didn't comment as they slipped inside and slid the door shut.

Sora sat down on one of the beds, patting he space next to him in an obvious invitation to sit. The blonde did, waiting expectantly. Sora had more experience with magic than he did, so he just had to resign himself to following the other's lead.

"We'll start with Fire, since you've already had a little experience with that." Roxas bobbed his head agreeably as Sora pulled a red orb out of one of his many pockets. He handed it over to Roxas. "Careful, it's fragile."

"What should I do?' Roxas stared curiously at the orb. It was different than the Cure orb. It was more of an oval than a sphere, kind of like an egg. He held it in his cupped hands gingerly as if scared of breaking it. Sora reached over to lay his hands over the blonde's, pressing them around the orb gently.

"It's not hard once you get used to it," Sora said. "First you have to know how to pull the energy from the orb. You shouldn't have any trouble with that, but we'd better practice anyway. Take a few deeps breaths." Roxas did, following Sora's example. "Now, think of something calm. The trick to keeping fire from getting out of control is to remain calm. Magic reacts to your emotions, and losing your mind while using it could be potentially dangerous to both you and your allies."

Roxas closed his eyes, trying to think of something calm. Unwittingly, his thoughts traveled to Axel again. Did he ever have trouble containing his fire powers? He always seemed to have such complete control over them. Then again, his powers came from inside; he didn't have to channel them through an orb. Was that just because he was a Nobody, or could it be another reason?

"There, that's it!" Roxas opened his eyes, surprised to find his hands glowing, but no fire. Sora was beaming at him. "I knew you could do it. Your hands are warm, but not enough to burn. It's useful to have control over something as potentially dangerous as fire." It was then that Roxas noticed Sora still had his hands around the blonde's. He stared at them until Sora noticed and removed his quickly.

"Sorry," he said. "Well, uh…I think that's enough for the Passive fire. I'll teach you some attacks when we have some targets. There should be some when we land." He looked embarrassed as he sat up, taking the orb from Roxas' hands. "Why don't you sleep a little…you look pale."

Sora shut the door behind him, leaving Roxas alone in the small room. He wanted to follow-he didn't feel the least bit tired-but he felt uncomfortable, as if something big had happened and he missed it.

Roxas looked around at the tiny cabin, never really having taken the time to notice it before. Not that there was anything to notice; it was small, with metal walls. There were two beds, neither made, one of which he was sitting on. Nothing was remarkable about this room, and yet he could do nothing else. He wasn't tired, if anything he was full of energy and itching to fight. He wanted to use more magic, to learn more, so that he would never be helpless in a fight anymore. He didn't want to have to be rescued again; never again.

He couldn't remember ever being this weak when he was in Organization XIII. He couldn't remember anyone ever rushing to his aid back then. Then again, he doubted anyone would have. In the Organization, it was every man for himself; or, in Larxene's case, herself. None of them would lift a finger to help him. He was perfectly capable of defending himself. Maybe he'd gotten soft in the time he was away.

Or maybe he had just allowed himself to get used to having someone around that was willing to protect him.

--

"Wow, this castle is kind of spooky." Roxas shivered as the cold stone making up the place they'd arrived made the air as frigid as ice. He didn't much like the cold and had foolishly not brought a jacket with him. How was he supposed to know this world would turn out to be a freezer?

"Wonder where we are…?" Sora said, idly looked around the large castle. It was empty as far as they could see. Nothing moved, and only the sound of the wind whistling between the stones broke through the silence. Roxas cast a nervous glance around the threshold in which they were standing. Someone obviously lived here; there were lit candles everywhere. There was no guarantee, however, that it was a good someone. For all they knew, the residents of this castle had already been taken over by the Heartless.

Roxas glanced at Sora, who was staring around with a small frown on his face. The brunet hadn't said a word to him since they'd landed. He still had the distinct feeling that he was missing something. The tension between them was evident. Even Donald and Goofy were looking uncomfortable. He didn't like this, especially since the two had been on such good terms lately. He especially hated being kept out of the loop in something that he seemed to be a part of.

"Hey, look; there's an open door over there," Goofy said, pointing to a door ajar and spilling light out onto the ground across the hall.

"You think someone's in there?" Donald wondered aloud. Sora shrugged.

"Guess we won't find out until we check." He crossed the hall confidently, trailing the other three, who were looking nervous. They didn't know what they would find behind that door, and couldn't in all confidence say they hoped anyone was in the room beyond it.

They needn't have worried, however; the room was completely empty, a fire crackling deceptively cheerfully across the plushy carpet blanketing the floor. The room had a cozy feel to it, unlike the rest of the castle, and everyone eased a little. While the residents of the castle hadn't made themselves known yet, it was nice to be out of the cold for a little while.

"Mmm, it feels good in here," Roxas said, sinking down in the armchair near the fire. He closed his eyes contentedly, letting the warmth wash over him.

"Something doesn't feel right," Sora said, keeping his distance from the relaxed blonde. "I don't think we should be here. Maybe we should try to find out who lives here before making ourselves so comfortable." Roxas agreed, actually. He wasn't one to make himself comfortable when he wasn't sure if he was welcome. However, his relaxed attitude was making Sora talk to him again. Just that bare amount of attention in the midst of the cold attitude Sora had towards him made him want more.

"Lighten up," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm sure whoever lives here will come down soon enough. Until then, why should we make ourselves comfortable? We're the ones who are going to save this world, after all." He snuggled deeper into the cushy armchair. "Let's all just…"

"Hey, what's this thing?" Roxas blinked as Donald revealed a glass case with a sparkling rose inside, suspended on seemingly nothing. He was curious as to what it was, but more than that he was irritated. He felt a spark of annoyance at Donald for commanding Sora's attention when he had been busy trying to do just that.

Still, the thing was beautiful. The rose was luminescent, glowing with a life of its own with a pink aura surrounding it. Sadly, a few petals adorned the bottom of the case, but rather than diminishing its beauty, it only seemed to extend it, stretching the aura down like a veil over the delicate flower. They stared for a few seconds, entranced, before a loud roar ripped through the air.

Roxas jumped out of the armchair, Keyblades instinctively being summoned to his hands. He expected the others to try and fight too, but none of them moved, instead staring at the door smiling.

"I recognize that roar," Sora said excitedly. "It's the Beast!" The others were excited, eager to see the Beast's familiar furry face. Roxas wasn't as sure, and his Keyblades remained firmly in his hands. He wouldn't drop his guard. At the first sign of trouble, he would attack. Sora might think they were safe, but Roxas knew better. They were never, ever safe. He had been stupid to act so relaxed in the first place, especially for such a trivial reason as to gain Sora's attention. He shouldn't even be distracting him…what had he been thinking?

The Beast didn't take long. His large, shaggy form appeared at the door, slamming it open so hard that the wall behind it cracked. Sora tried to greet him, but the Beast ignored the brunet, instead heading straight for Donald. He ripped the case from the duck violently, sending him sprawling across the floor. The case he cradled in his arms, caressing it like a mother might a child before leaving without so much as looking at them. Roxas dismissed his Keyblades, blinking slowly at the Beast's retreating form.

"That was…weird," he said slowly. He never knew the Beast, but thanks to Sora's memories he knew that he was actually nice despite his rough appearance. The way he had acted had been so strange; like he really hadn't noticed they were there.

"Should we follow him?" Sora asked idly. Neither Donald nor Goofy seemed to think that was a good idea, and Roxas agreed. In the state he was, following the Beast would be a futile, if not dangerous, effort.

"Wonder why he's acting like that?" Donald said, sitting up and rubbing his head. He'd wanged it on the edge of the fireplace when the Beast pushed him over. "He didn't acknowledge us at all."

"Hey, if this is Beast's castle then shouldn't Belle be here?" Goofy threw in.

"Hey, yeah! She should know what's going on. Come on, let's go find her."

The castle, as Roxas suspected, was overrun with Heartless. As soon as they left the relative safety of the small room, they found themselves attacked from all sides. The numbers didn't overwhelm them; rather, it gave them an excuse to fight again, something Roxas had been itching to do since they'd left the Land of Dragons. He was a fighting junkie, really, not happy unless he was beating something to death. Most likely it was a residual effect of being in Organization XIII. In the Organization, his whole life had been fighting. At least the parts he could remember. He didn't think the life of a Nobody could consist of much else; especially with a leader as cruel and cold as Xemnas. All the man cared about was gathering hearts. Roxas never understood why he wanted to complete Kingdom Hearts so much. It certainly wasn't for them; his "loyal" members. Whatever his reasons, they were most definitely selfish.

The large door at the end of the hallway, the only one in the small space, was definitely a clue as to Belle's whereabouts. A voice could be heard inside. It was Belle's, talking to some unknown other. Sora and Donald, true to their spontaneous nature, wanted to break down the door. Luckily, the other two talked some reason into them. Rather, Goofy held them back while Roxas knocked.

The talking ceased. For a few seconds, Roxas didn't think Belle would answer, but then he heard soft footfalls against the hardwood floor and the door opened a crack. Belle peered around the door, one eye barely visible.

"Uh…hi," Roxas said to the eye, raising a hand in greeting. It was obvious she didn't know who he was by the way her eye sort of narrowed, but when she caught sight of the other three behind him, she opened the door all the way.

"Oh, it's you guys," she breathed in relief. "Thank god. I thought it was a Heartless trying to trick me. One of them tried to attack me earlier." She grinned at them. "You're here to get rid of them, right?"

"We sure are," Sora said. "We already saw the Beast. What's wrong with him, Belle?" The brunette looked around nervously.

"You'd better come inside," she said, standing aside so the others could pass into the extravagant room. She stared at Roxas suspiciously as he passed. He ignored it.

The room was certainly beautiful. A large bed draped with a lace veil adorned one wall of the room. On the other end, an intricately designed fireplace, lit, was crackling cheerfully. A door leading to a balcony, dripping with more lace, sat on the far end. The walls were bare and painted pure white, untainted by any mark.

"It's terrible," Belle said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and worrying a bit of lace between her fingers. "About a week ago, the Heartless came to our world, suddenly and without warning. The Beast told me not to worry, that he would fight them off until you guys came to get rid of them for good. I trusted him, because I knew he had the power to kill them, but…" Her eyes filled with tears. "Something happened to him. He's been distant lately, and cruel. The only thing he cares about is that stupid Rose. He's been clinging to it like it's the most precious thing in the world. He's never acted this way before." She shook her head. "I'm so worried one of those monsters is controlling him somehow. I'm so scared he's going to do something bad. He's already locked his servants in the cellar." Belle looked to the bedside table and grasped a photo of a goofy-looking old man in her hands. Tears formed in her eyes.

"I've never wished to go home before now, but…I just don't know what to do anymore." Sora sat beside her as drops of moisture appeared on the glass protecting the photo.

"Don't worry," he said soothingly. "We'll find out what's wrong, and break whatever hold the Heartless have on the Beast. Leave everything to us." A small smile appeared on the brunette girl's face.

"I knew I could count on you guys," she said softly. "I'm so happy to know you." She wiped the tears from her eyes with the heel of her hand. "Could you do me a favor and free the servants from the dungeon first? I hate to think of them suffering. They're in the West Wing. You can't miss it."

"Of course we will," Sora said kindly. He stood up, a hand on her shoulder. "Are you going to be okay without us here?" She sniffed and nodded.

"I'll be fine," she forced a smile. "I just want this whole thing to be over. I want my Beast back."

The four got ready to leave, healing any wound with the slight moment of quiet they had. Sora pulled Roxas off to the side once a slice to his hand had been closed.

"Listen," he said quietly, so the others couldn't hear, "I think you should stay behind to keep an eye on Belle. She's defenseless all alone."

"I don't know…" Roxas glanced at Belle warily. "She doesn't really know me. I don't think she would like me to be her protection. What about Donald or Goofy; someone she's familiar with?"

"No good. I need them. You're the only one that can stay." A spark of anger traveled through Roxas, making him narrow his eyes.

"I'm the only expendable one, you mean?" He clenched his teeth together. "What am I, a liability?" The harsh words of the King echoed in his ears still, even after Yen Sid's assurances. He thought Sora, of all people, would never treat him that same way. He looked up, trembling with the anger he felt. Sora met him with a similar frown.

"Just stay here," he said shortly. "Practice." He pushed the Fire orb into his hand harshly, turning to go with the others. Roxas clenched his fingers over the warm glass-like surface. If anything, the brush-off he'd just received made Roxas angrier than ever. What right did Sora have to get mad at him? What made him think that he was so much better?

When they left, an uncomfortable atmosphere fell. He looked to find Belle staring at him with a distrustful stare from her perch on her bed. He made no efforts to talk to her, instead making his way to the balcony with the orb. He would practice, but only because he wanted to, not because Sora told him to. If he practiced, he could surpass Sora in strength, and nobody would ever call him a liability again.

His frustration was evident in his practicing. While he had been able to make his hands warm with little to no effort on the Gummi Ship, he could barely produce a spark now.

"Damnit!" He screamed, throwing the egg-shaped orb into the room behind him. He rested his elbows on the railing of the balcony, fisting his hair hard enough for a few strands to rip from the roots and glide to the ground far below. He didn't notice this, however, too wrapped up was he in his anger. He couldn't seem to get enough breath; every one was like he'd just run a marathon through water.

Why did they have to leave him behind? Roxas was just starting to like being in their company. He was just starting to feel like he was a part of the group. Sora…he'd never treated him badly before. He always treated him like a friend. So why…what was the point in leaving him behind? How could he do something so hurtful?

Sort footsteps were heard behind him. He craned his neck over his shoulder to see Belle holding the Fire orb, defensiveness painted on her face and body language. That same disdainful look as always was present.

"You could jump," she said. "I don't know if that would kill you things…but you could do it anyway." Roxas stared at her in disbelief.

"What?" He thought it was only distrust Belle felt towards him. That was understandable, since she didn't know him; but this…her suggestion made it seem like she wanted him dead and gone. There was no joke or pity evident in her features; just that same look of hate.

"You don't belong here," she said. "I know what you are, and I know what you're doing. You can't fool me." Anger gave way to surprise for a moment. Roxas turned to face her fully, an expression of disbelief commanding his features.

"What are you talking about?" Still, he feared her answer. He was afraid she knew he was a Nobody and would tell Sora. He knew he hadn't done anything wrong, and wasn't going to, but her impression seemed like she thought he was worse than he was. Her face contorted, mixing pain with anger.

"Heartless scum!" She screeched, chucking the Fire orb at him. He managed to catch it before it went over the edge, but he soon had a new problem as she was on him, trying to push him over the edge, to fall in the courtyard so far below. A wild look was in her eyes. Luckily, Roxas was stronger than her, and managed to push her back into the room. He backed up near the fire, while Belle stood by the bed, breathing heavily. Some hair had come out of her meticulously-placed strands, and it hung in her face, giving her a crazed look.

"Don't try to hide it; I already know what you are." She took a step forward, menacing, as if she could actually do something on her own. "You're one of them; a Heartless. I can see right through you. I can tell you don't have one. Were you the one that did this to the Beast?"

Now Roxas was really confused. She thought he was a Heartless? What?

"Now, calm down," he said quietly, taking a few steps forward. She lashed out at him and he backed up quickly. He couldn't hurt her; she was defenseless, after all.

"Don't you come near me, Heartless! When Sora gets back, I'll tell him everything. I'll tell him what you are so he can destroy you." Roxas' breath caught. He didn't doubt her words; he knew she would act on them if given the chance. He didn't know if Sora would believe her, or destroy him like she said. He did not, however, think he could withstand an attack from all three at once. He couldn't stand having to fight the people he called his friends.

Correction: He couldn't stand being destroyed by the people he called his friends.

He stepped forward quickly towards Belle. She didn't flinch or try to run away, instead kicking and punching and scratching at him. He easily overpowered her, despite her seniority and height, pinning her hands behind her back and pressing her against the wall. She struggled valiantly. Roxas found it difficult to hold on.

"Kill me, take my heart!" Belle cried, thrashing around in an attempt to get free. "They'll know it was you who did it! They'll kill you anyway!" Roxas growled low in his throat, pressing her harder against the cool white surface.

"Listen here," he said, some of the anger returning to his voice. "I've been called a lot of things, but I assure you I'm not a Heartless."

"Liar!"

"Shut up!" If he was nothing else, he was truthful. He hated lying and was bad at it. He hid his past from Sora out of necessity, not for any want to lie. He didn't need Belle exposing him, even if her conclusion was false.

"What makes you think I'm what you say I am?" He asked, curiosity winning out. Belle had known it from the beginning, without asking or seeing anything that suggested he was what she said. She snarled.

"I'm a Princess of Heart, you slime! You really think I don't notice the absence of a Heart? You're as empty as them; just because you've learned a few tricks to act human, that doesn't mean you can get away with it." Roxas was shocked. He didn't think the Princesses could do that. She was able to look into his heart, only to find there was none there, so of course she would jump to that conclusion. She was wrong, but he could understand somewhat. That still did not change the fact that she was going to put him in horrible danger.

"I swear to you I'm not," he said, his voice softening. "Would you still be alive if I was?"

"You're trying to make Sora trust you!"

"I already have Sora's trust; and anyway, you're going to tell on me. What possible use would there be for you still being alive if I wanted to take your heart?" The girl was silent, contemplating. Her struggles ceased.

"It's true; I don't have a heart." He said this with some regret. "But my intention has never been to hurt anyone." She turned her head so she could look at him, hair falling in her eyes.

"Why should I believe you?" She asked. Roxas noted that the venom was gone from her voice. The look in her eyes was still distrustful.

"I never said you should," Roxas said. He released her arms and stepped back a few paces, on his guard in case she decided to attack him. "But I hope that these…will be enough to convince you." He held out his hands to summon his Keyblades to his hands. He wasn't looking at Belle, but he heard her soft gasp.

"Keyblades…? Wha…?"

"Have you ever heard of Nobodies, Belle?" The brunette girl shook her head. "They're beings that have no hearts, but are capable of knowing what they feel like. They're created when a good-hearted person loses their heart, alongside a Heartless." He took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to confess. "I…am Sora's Nobody."

"Riku had a Keyblade," she said softly. "And he was bad. Just because you have them doesn't mean you're a good guy."

"Riku was never bad. Used and naïve maybe…but not bad." He shook his head. "Surely you can tell these aren't evil? They're just like Sora's; they just look different. They're used for banishing Heartless just the same. Trust me; please…I'm a good guy." Belle swallowed.

"I have to trust what my heart is telling me. It's telling me you have no heart. You're empty inside."

"I don't have one of my own," he said, "But that doesn't mean I don't have one. It's with Sora. That's why I'm staying with him." He banished the Keyblades, a pleading look on his face. "Please don't expose me, Belle. I need to stay near my heart."

"If you're not a bad guy, why are you hiding this from Sora?" The brunette asked. She was beginning to let her guard down, even letting her arms hang by her side in a relaxed position.

"Do you think he'd understand?" Roxas shrugged. "He's been told that Nobodies are evil and out to steal his heart. If he found out I was one, he wouldn't wait around to destroy me. Donald especially wouldn't wait." He sighed. "I would be on the run from them, forever their enemy, or they would destroy me, and Sora would be incomplete for the rest of his life. It does no good to destroy me. Please believe me when I say that I could never cause harm to him." Belle looked around awkwardly, looking embarrassed.

"I can tell you're sincere," she said. "I can tell you're not lying to me. However, I can't…I can't trust you yet. People who are sincere can turn around and hurt you in the blink of an eye. How can I know you won't turn out like Riku? How can I know you won't turn against us?"

"You can't," Roxas said regretfully. "And neither can I. We just have to believe that won't happen, and hope for the best. I would never betray them by choice, but I know there are other methods…" He stopped there. He knew Xemnas could use a form of mind control over his Nobodies, but he didn't know how far it extended and he didn't know how powerful the control was. He'd never had it used on him before. He suspected that his old master couldn't use it often, or else he would have come after him when he left Organization XIII. Still, it was something to be wary of.

"I can't stay in here anymore," he said suddenly. "I have to go." Belle nodded.

"You're going to follow them?"

"Yeah. I can't just sit here while they fight Heartless. Four is a better team than three." He grinned and shot Belle a salute. She laughed, the first time he'd seen her do such since he got here. "What?"

"Just now," she giggled. "You looked just like Sora. That same goofy expression." A smile remained on her face. "I hope you make it to them safely, Roxas. The castle isn't a very safe place to be right now."

"Thanks." Roxas summoned his Keyblades to his side again, moving to the door. "Lock the door, okay? There's bound to be Heartless trying to get in. We'll come get you when they're gone."

"How will I know it's you and not some Heartless trying to trick me?" Roxas grinned at her again.

"You'll know." With that he left, shutting the door behind him. The long hallway seemed to him like an infinite abyss, an unnecessary tunnel which he needed to make his way through in order to reach his goal. Still he pressed on, killing any Heartless that dared get in his way. It was hard going, but he knew that perseverance would get him to Sora in the end.

The West Wing was a huge section of the building. If he found the East Wing foreboding, this part was downright scary. The ceiling was yards above him, with chandeliers hanging at regular intervals. A door lay at the end of the hall on the left, while a staircase blocked by suits of armor lay on his right. He could easily push the armor aside if he wanted, but he made his way to the door. Better take the unhindered route.

He grasped the handle of the door just as he heard a ruckus behind him. He turned quickly to see the very same three people he was looking for, along with a moving clock, candelabra, teapot and teacup following them.

Yeah. That was normal. What was scary was that he wasn't even surprised.

"Sora," he called out just as the brunet passed. The other boy looked his way, stopping once in shock to stare at him, before shaking his head and continuing on. "Hey…wait up!"

Roxas rushed to the stairs, moving to push the armor aside. Instead it seemed to push closer together. Even his attempts to squeeze past were in vain. It was like the armor was alive, and preventing him from passing. He growled in frustration.

"Fine, you stupid armor! I'll just find another way!" He considered his sanity for yelling at inanimate objects, but didn't dwell on it too long. He climbed onto the hand railing, balancing precariously. Aiming well, hopefully, and glancing down to make sure the armor wasn't suddenly going to leap in his way, he jumped for the gap between two pillars, landing hard on rough carpet. The wind had been knocked out of him, but he was past the armor and in the hallway where he could follow Sora. Brushing off his clothes, he got up quickly, picked up his Keyblades, and raced after them.

The hallway he ended up in was dark and depressing. There weren't many Heartless, though, which must have meant Sora and the others killed them already. He pressed on, on his guard. Who knew what could jump out at any moment?

There was only one door, at the very end of a long hallway. What was with the long hallways in this place? Didn't anyone make short hallways anymore? Was walking such a fun activity that the designer of the castle thought it was a good idea? For the love of…just reaching the doors was a chore.

The sound of fighting could be heard from outside the chipped mahogany door. It must have been loud; this was a pretty thick door. He thought he heard an alarm clock going off, but that might have been his diminishing sanity. He grasped the knob and turned it slowly, without fully knowing why. Maybe he just didn't want to fight anymore, and so he was hoping it would be over by the time he finally opened the door. Or maybe he just liked the dramatic effect. Shaking his head in disgust at himself, he pushed the door open all the way.

The Beast was fighting with Sora. As in, fighting against. And, from what he could see, winning. Sora had a tear in his shirt, and a gash running down his arm, but he kept fighting. An alarm clock was going off near the Beast's head, but it didn't seem to be doing any good. Donald had passed out, it seemed, and Goofy was watching over him, making sure nothing came after the duck while he was unaware.

Roxas took a close look at the Beast. He knew the Beast was an angry creature, but the look on his face was blank as he fought, as if his actions weren't his own.

He was being controlled. By Xemnas or another, he wasn't able to tell. As he was, the Beast was stronger than Sora. Obviously, the brunet didn't stand a chance with both his teammates out for the count. That meant he needed to help, or risk watching Sora die; literally die. The Beast would rip him to shreds. He couldn't allow that to happen.

He jumped into the fight with vigor, catching the furry Beast off-guard. With the short surprise, Sora took the opportunity to heal with a Hi-Potion. Roxas watched the gash seal itself up like a fast-forwarded medical video. It would need actual attention later, but for now it would be okay.

Despite their combined efforts, the Beast still attacked them like enemies. They were beginning to get tired, and still the Beast came at them with no signs of weariness. Roxas was going to give up hope, until he noticed a figure in a black cloak hanging out in the back. His eyes narrowed at the person; whoever it was. He edged away from the fight, making his way towards the real enemy.

"What have you done to the Beast?" He demanded. The figure was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, cool as a cucumber. As if this was some natural every-day occurrence. As if it were okay to control somebody. The other figure chuckled cruelly.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it," he said. "You're still alive, and…working for the enemy now, Roxas? I wouldn't have pegged you for the treasonous type." Roxas frowned. He'd heard that voice before. Somewhere…somewhere…he knew who it was…

"Xal…din," he said hesitantly, the name popping into his head. The figure laughed again, lowering his hood.

"So you do remember us. I thought that Diz got rid of all your memories?" Roxas scowled.

"Most of them…I'm remembering things on my own. Don't change the subject." The blonde gestured towards the fighting going on behind him. "Whatever you've done to the Beast, stop this. There's no point to this, and the Heartless have already claimed this world. You'll be swallowed up by them if you don't get out of here soon."

"Au contraire," Xaldin said lightly, his usual condescending self. "The Heartless listen to me now."

"You're lying. The Nobodies and Heartless are enemies; why would they listen to you?"

"They crave power." Xaldin clenched his fist as if grasping a piece of dust from the air. "They follow whoever has the most. I control the most powerful resident of this world; therefore, I am the most powerful. This creature can kill them and they know it. They wouldn't dare disobey." A wolfish smile spread across his face. "I can't lose. You and your little friends have lost, Roxas. Nothing can break that mind control."

"Oh yeah?" Roxas looked behind him. "Well, I say there is. Not even Xemnas is all-powerful, Xaldin."

"Whatever you say, Roxas. Whatever you say." A humoring grin spread across the older man's face. Blackness began to lick his body as he summoned a dark door. "I'll be sure to tell Xemnas about this little rendezvous you and I have had. I'm sure he'll be very happy to know you're still alive." Roxas felt a thrill of fear go through him at those words. His secret existence wasn't secret anymore. Xemnas would know where he was, and could use that to his advantage. He had to get strong fast, so he could fight against his former leader.

Roxas turned back to the fight, still going on despite what had happened. He was tired of this; tired of this fight. He couldn't take it anymore. He pulled out the Fire orb still in his pocket and examined it. Worth a shot.

He concentrated on the orb, blocking out the sounds of the outside world for just a minute. All he needed was to make his hands burning hot. He didn't need to produce it, he just needed the power of heat. He concentrated as hard as he could, squeezing his eyes shut and envisioning it like Sora taught him. When he opened his eyes again, his hands were so bright he couldn't stand to look at them straight-on. A smile crossed his face. This would work.

He took a running start and jumped, latching onto the Beast's fur and pressing his palms to the hair-covered skull, as if trying to burn the control Xaldin had over him out of his brain. The Beast screamed, clawing, trying to get him off, but Roxas managed to hold on for a while. When he was finally expelled, it was with a rip of claws to his side and a not-so-tender meeting with the wall.

He could tell his method had worked; the Beast was looking around, blinking, and talking again. The servants were overjoyed. He smiled. He was glad he came so he could help. He moved to get up, but a shooting pain kept him down. He hissed, pressing his hand to his wound. It came back covered with blood. He chuckled nervously. Great.

Sora stood over him, looking down like a wolf on an anthill. Roxas cracked a smile.

"Hey," he said, his voice making him sound better than he felt. He looked around. "Where'd the others go?"

"I asked them to leave," he said shortly. "We'll join them in a minute."

"Sounds safe," Roxas said sarcastically. "Hope we're not ambushed."

"Shut up," the brunet said, pulling out the green Cure orb. They were both silent for a long time as Sora Cured him. He already used it during battle, so the gash wasn't halfway healed before the middle turned red. Still he kept using it, Roxas noticed. He took the orb.

"Wasn't it you who warned me about these thing? You shouldn't be so careless." Sora scowled.

"Speak for yourself," he said, pulling out a few Potions. "This is why I wanted you to stay with Belle and not come. You're an idiot, you know that?" Roxas scowled.

"Well, I'm so sorry I get in the way. Don't thank me or anything. I only save your ass every once in a while." He grabbed the Potions from Sora and sat up, hissing in pain. The gash still hurt, even with how much it healed. He leaned against the wall as he applied the Potions while Sora watched him, unmoving.

"Do you think I'm weak?" Roxas asked. "Is that why you left me behind?" To his surprise, Sora shook his head, eyes still trained on the wound he was healing.

"I've never thought you were weak; you're as strong as me. With a little training, you could be stronger." He looked up slowly, his face completely serious. "I left you behind because I started thinking about the Land of Dragons. You're so reckless when fighting. Sometimes you just…do stupid stuff. Remember those Centaurs?" Roxas nodded. "I started to think about you getting hurt again, and it scared me. I couldn't stand the thought." Roxas looked away, ashamed.

"Oh…I'm sorry for thinking the worst. I thought…you didn't consider me a friend anymore. It's nice to know you were worried. Sorry I…didn't exactly listen to you." Roxas grinned. "You don't have to worry, though. I won't die yet. I might get a little hurt, but I won't die, trust me. As long as you're still my friend, I don't mind getting a little roughed-up."

"I don't think it's just that." Roxas frowned.

"What?"

"I don't think…it was just my concern as a friend that made me worried. I…" Sora looked embarrassed. Again Roxas felt like he was missing something. Sora looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Before he could say anything, brown hair and pale skin was suddenly way too close, and a pair of lips pressed against his own. It was brief, but undeniable. He stared at the brunet, speechless, but before he could say anything, Sora had left.

Roxas blinked. If not for the warmth still on his lips, he might have thought that all in his imagination. But it had happened. Sora had kissed him.

Why?


	9. Beast's Castle I Part 2

AN: Just call this the gimpy chapter. It's 5 pages shorter than the others, simply because Beast's Castle doesn't have that much going on. I tried, really, but this is the finished result.

No yaoi this chapter, just a little conversation and maybe a tiny bit of fluff at the end. They'll be leaving for the Olympus Colliseum next chapter.

I'm sorry I always take so long to write! At least I'm usually consistent with updating once a month.

Disclaimer: I don't own it

* * *

To say the least, Roxas was more than a little shocked at Sora's…actions. There was no time to dwell on it, however, and Roxas couldn't help but wonder if it had been planned that way. There were still Heartless in the castle, and they still needed to be gotten rid of. He had to keep his head in the game to kill them.

The gash in his side was healed nicely. There would probably be a scar, but it wouldn't be very big. Nobody would notice it; such a small wound wouldn't even garner thought. Besides, scars were cool-looking and always came with a story.

Sora wouldn't meet his eyes when he stepped out of the Beast's room. Roxas was annoyed, feeling once more that Sora was ignoring him. He didn't like being ignored by anybody, and when Sora did it he liked it less. It wasn't like he was exactly making an effort at conversation himself, but then again he wasn't the one who had done the kissing. He was an innocent victim in this situation!

He sighed internally. It didn't matter who had started this. They would banish the Heartless first, and then Roxas would confront him.

Goofy offered him a grin as he stepped out of the room.

"Good job, Roxas," he said, clapping a friendly hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I thought we were done for, but that was some purty quick thinkin' ya did there. I think ya singed the Beast's fur a bit, but he seems okay besides that." Donald, as usual, was silent, refusing to offer praise for a job well done. Roxas didn't care much about that. His gaze slid to the Beast, who had appeared in front of him.

"I…wanted to thank you for helping me," he said hesitantly. His voice was garbled and deep, an obvious feature that a hairy beast would have. His words and the way he spoke, however, betrayed a regal sort of background. Even as he was, he stood high and proud, his eyes strong and bright. Roxas could tell that this beast had once been much more than a beast. His hand was enveloped in a hairy paw gently.

"Thank you for freeing me. I thought I would be trapped forever; a prisoner in my own mind. It was like having a bad dream. I wanted to stop attacking you, but I was powerless to break the control over my mind. It's one of the only times I've ever really felt so weak." A widening of the jaws that might have been a smile occurred, but it was brief and gone in an instant.

"We should get going," he said, turning quickly from the blonde. "I want to make sure Belle is okay." Roxas followed behind the others as they made their way swiftly down the twisting hallways with lush carpet. To his surprise, the suits of armour moved aside quickly when the Beast went past them. He figured the Beast must have been the one holding them there in the first place; him or Xaldin. Either way, he didn't blame the suits for getting out of the way. The Beast looked like he would tear them to shreds as easy as tinfoil if it meant getting to Belle.

The Heartless were still around, of course. Roxas found himself fending off many attacks with the others, but there were never any powerful Heartless. The Beast didn't even stop to fight. Any in front of him were obliterated in a second with one swipe, and the rest was left to them. He was crazed with the desire to get to Belle and make sure she was okay. Roxas smiled, thinking how nice it would be to love someone like that.

Thankfully, the brunette was unharmed. Roxas had to admit he felt a sort of kinship with her, despite the face that she had tried to kill him. She shot him a glance but didn't say anything, neither to him nor to the others about him. He silently thanked her for not revealing his true identity.

The four sat back and watched as she embraced the Beast. It was clear to all eyes that she loved him as much as one could love another person. He envied them, truly, for being able to love. Roxas shot a glance at the Keyblade Master, who was watching the pair with a look of fierce determination. The blonde wondered what he was thinking about. Maybe Kairi; his own love?

He sighed internally. That girl…Roxas didn't know what would happen to him if they ever returned to Sora's home. The other would obviously abandon the three of them for her. He knew that for certain, because when you loved someone you put them above everyone else. He didn't know if he would still be around then, or what he would do after the Heartless were gone, if they ever disappeared. Maybe he would try to live a normal life on the island; go to school, get a job, start a family…stuff that Somebody's did. A normal life sounded pretty good, actually.

Roxas knew that could never happen, though. Fighting had been his life, and it still was. He had never known anything else, except for his brief brush with reality in Twilight Town. Even there, it was always a strained existence. He could never go somewhere docile and have a normal life, he knew. Moreover, he found he really didn't want to. It would be an incredibly boring life.

He would either have to stay like this his entire life, fighting Heartless until his last breath, or fuse with Sora. That was the way fate had dealt out his life, and it was the way it had to be forever.

"Y'okay there, Roxas?" The blonde looked up to find Goofy standing near him. He smiled at the canine.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking…sometimes I forget to pay attention to the outside world." He shrugged.

"I meant physically. Ya took a pretty bad blow in that last fight. Sora said he healed ya, but you two seem like yer havin' a fight or somethin'."

"Oh…" Roxas touched his stomach absent-mindedly; the spot where his wound had previously been. "No, it's fine now. Sora used some Potions on me." There was still slight pain, but he decided not to mention that. It would only unnecessarily worry Goofy, something he didn't want to do.

"Are you two havin' some sort 'a fight?" Goofy asked worriedly, glancing at the brunet across the room. Roxas shrugged.

"Something like that," he said quietly. "It's nothing you need to worry about. I'll fix it, so don't worry." Goofy didn't look convinced.

"It's just real sad ta see you two like this. You've been so close lately. Ya sure ya can handle this on your own?" Roxas nodded.

"I think he would prefer it that way. Our…fight is something that I don't think he wants to become known to the two of you." He would deal with it on his own. Once he did what needed to be done in this world, he would sit Sora down and make him talk. Something told him that even if Sora protested it wouldn't be very hard.

The Beast wanted to find Xaldin and destroy him for what he did. Roxas sincerely doubted it would be as easy as all that; Xaldin was a daunting opponent. After seeing him, his memories of the third member came rushing back. He could remember training with the man, and going on missions with him. He had never particularly enjoyed Xaldin's company, but he kept it because there just wasn't much else to do. The same could be said of all the members, though he wouldn't really call them friends. They just sort of…tolerated each other.

Roxas trekked after the others down the hallway. He fought when he needed to but mostly he let his mind wander. It wasn't a hard thing to do. It was a defence mechanism, really; something he used to do back in the Organization. It kept him from going insane, because inside his mind everything made sense.

Okay, that was a lie. Still, it made more sense than the outside world and that made all the difference.

It took an unnecessarily long time to find the British man, but they eventually located him in the ballroom. Of course. The most open room in which he could horribly maim them in several different ways. Who could have seen that coming?

Only…it wasn't Xaldin who was fighting them. It was some Heartless that liked to possess everything. Fun.

In some ways it was, really. The fight kept them on their toes at least. It was a welcome distraction from the questions buzzing around in Roxas' brain. Questions he needed answered soon, before he went insane.

Sora was a reckless fighter; he could see that in his movements. He was more concerned with landing blows than with form or keeping himself safe. Several times, Goofy or Donald had to rescue him. He was keeping his distance for some reason. He couldn't concentrate on his opponent with the boy near him. It was disconcerting, and he chalked it up to nerves. After all, Sora had kissed him, not the other way around. The only reason there would be any tension between them was the unspoken possibilities. No, not possibilities…what possibilities could there possibly be?

Roxas was pulled back into reality as the pillars came to life and scraped along the ground, making his instincts kick in to block it. He was thinking way too much into this. Maybe the kiss was just a spur of the moment sort of thing. That was probably it. Sora was just embarrassed for letting himself get carried away was all. They would clear everything up later, right after this battle. Everything would go back to normal again. It had to…

Roxas kept back along the wall, out of the way of most of the Heartless' attacks. It was a somewhat brutal fight, but he knew the others could handle it without him. Admittedly, he was scared. Not just of the Heartless, but of being in any sort of proximity with the Keyblade Master. After all, he didn't want to make the boy uncomfortable in such an important battle. He or someone else could get hurt. It was best just to let it go until later. Definitely.

When the Heartless transformed into a giant dog-thing, he was tempted to go out there and help, but his legs wouldn't move. His eyes were trained on Sora; the way he was fighting with no abandon; the way his face seemed set in a determined look so alien from his usual cheerful face that it almost seemed wrong. He had never noticed these details before.

Then again, he had never really looked.

He couldn't be certain what was happening lately. He had been all set for friendship with the boy, and thought things had been going pretty well on that front, but he still didn't know the nature of his relationship with the boy. He just didn't know how things would turn out, and that scared him a little. He liked to know what was going on, especially when something involved him. He wouldn't let Sora have peace until all his questions came to a conclusion.

The Heartless was killed with the swift ease of a practiced sword. It lay on the ground for a moment, body taking up the entire middle of the ballroom, before fading away in black, ropy tendrils. Roxas noticed Xaldin watching from one of the pillars. Their eyes met for a brief second before he gave a mock salute and disappeared. Roxas shivered once. He was going to tell Xemnas he was alive. After Xemnas found out, he would try to capture him once more. He supposed he couldn't hide forever, but this was still too soon. He thought he had a little more time before he had to run for his life again. How was he ever going to explain that to Sora?

"Roxas, we did it! We stopped tha Heartless!" Goofy appeared before him, pulling him into a congratulatory embrace. Roxas returned it awkwardly, but down in the pit of his stomach he was still nervous. He didn't think he would be able to smile with them for a while.

--

The Beast insisted on throwing them a banquet, so they were staying a night in the castle. He had to gather fresh supplies, he said, so the banquet would be the following night. He gave them two rooms to use down in the foyer, strangely cozy despite having not been used for a long time. Donald and Goofy claimed one of them, so that meant he had to room with Sora.

It was a pretty big room. It had only one bed, but it was a King size so they could completely have their own halves of the bed and be comfortable. Still, with the tension between them it didn't really matter how big the room was. Neither of them had been in it at the same time since the Beast said they could use it.

Roxas wanted to talk to Sora, like he said he would, but he was just too nervous. He didn't know how the other boy would react, and with his nerves already frayed he just couldn't deal with it. He wound up wandering the halls, thinking. Of course he knew how dangerous it was to be alone right then, but he just couldn't explain things to his friends.

He found himself in the East Wing, much to his surprise. He hadn't had a destination; he let his feet take him where they would. Nevertheless, he relished a chance to talk to Belle as well. He needed to know where they stood too. Mostly, he needed to know if she was going to be a threat to him.

He knocked softly on the door, stepping back a few steps in case she still wanted to attack him. He couldn't take any chances or make any assumptions on the matter. He had to be more cautious, especially now. Luckily, her demeanour didn't seem to be hostile as she opened the door.

"Oh; Roxas," she said, as if expecting someone else. She was probably hoping for the Beast. "What brings you here so late?" Her expression was a guarded one, but it no longer held the pure contempt that it once had. Roxas forced a smile on his face.

"I was just walking and found myself here. Do you mind if I come in?" Belle looked like she might refuse; hell, she looked like she wanted to slam the door in his face. Still, she conceded, stepping aside to allow him through.

He stepped into the posh room quickly, turning to face Belle. He didn't want to have his back to her in case she tried something. She must have sensed his wariness, because she didn't approach him, instead sitting down in a chair by her fireplace, which was crackling cheerily. She indicated that he sit down in the one across from her. He did so, trying to relax into the soft, moth-eaten cushions.

"What really brings you here?" Belle asked, pouring a cup of tea for both herself and Roxas. The blonde was wary, since he'd seen a moving and talking teapot and teacup earlier, but these seemed like normal, inanimate objects so he took a sip. It was hot, and soothed him a little. It was nice to get something in him.

"I don't know what you mean," Roxas said, shrugging. "I was telling the truth." She frowned at him, setting down her cup on a saucer.

"If you're going to start lying again I may just have to tell Sora what you told me. I know you don't want that, so I suggest you tell me your real reasons." Roxas sighed, taking another deep sip of the tea. It was good, like a drug, and made him feel a little sleepy.

"I needed to talk to someone," he said, finding it more true than he'd meant when he said it. Maybe that was all he was looking for when he subconsciously wandered up here. Maybe he needed to speak of the things that had been going on with someone who knew his situation. Belle prompted him to go on. He drained his cup and set it on the table.

"Xaldin's being here has made me nervous," he admitted. "Organization XIII usually doesn't meddle very much, and they certainly don't seek to control the Heartless. Nobodies and Heartless are enemies; they always have been. I just don't get what they could be up to. It's killing me to be out of the loop on this." Belle waited patiently for him to go on.

"Xaldin can't do mind control," he said abruptly. "The only one I know who can do that is Xemnas; and even then, he can't do it for very long. I have no idea how they did what they did to the Beast. I guess they could've gotten stronger in the time I was away, but…" _If that's true, I don't know if I can handle that._

Roxas left the unspoken words hanging in the air. Somehow, he knew Belle knew them already.

"Maybe it wasn't the Organization; maybe it was the Heartless," she said. Roxas laughed bitterly.

"I don't think they're smart enough to put something like that to use, even with a Nobody commanding them." He groaned. "I just don't know what to think anymore. Everything's so different; I can't take not knowing what's going on."

"Maybe it's a good thing you don't know." Roxas stared at Belle incredulously, but she shook her head. "Just hear me out. Maybe the fact that you don't know means you're better off in Sora's group. Maybe it's best if you distance yourself from the Organization as much as possible. You don't belong there anymore." Roxas had to admit, that sounded good; but pretty words never helped anyone.

"It's not as easy as just letting go," he protested. "I was born into that place. I've lived less than two years and more of it was spent within their company. There's gotta be some influence in there, and I'm used to being in the know." He didn't mention that he was often kept in the dark, since that wouldn't help his case. Belle shook her head.

"I don't know what to tell you, Roxas," she said. "I think you're better off with the Keyblade Master; but that's just my opinion." She frowned. "Speaking of, where is Sora?" Roxas stared into the fire.

"He's downstairs, in the room the Beast gave us to use."

"Why aren't you down there too? Why don't you talk to him about this?" There were two reasons for that. One was the obvious: Sora didn't know of his past with the Organization. The other was his own cowardice and selfish behaviour regarding his other half. He couldn't face the brunet. He thought he could, but he just couldn't.

"You two are fighting; it's written all over your face." Roxas didn't respond. While he and Sora weren't technically "fighting", they were not speaking at the time and were avoiding each other indefinitely. It was definitely going to be a long night if they had to share a room. He was seriously thinking about asking Donald to switch with him. The duck would be thrilled enough about being able to watch over Sora.

"You should talk to him," Belle suggested. Roxas turned to fully look at her.

"It's not as easy as just talking," he said. Rather, he didn't want to. A frown creased the brunette's face.

"Why aren't things easy?" she asked. "Why does everything have to be so difficult when it comes to you? Maybe the reason they aren't easy is because you haven't tried? Putting forth a little effort won't kill you." Roxas laughed at the cutting words, knowing them to be the truth, but Belle took it as derisiveness.

"Fine, be childish as long as you want and see how far it gets you. You're going to have to face him sooner or later if you want to stay with them." Roxas nodded in agreement. He knew that. He knew that better than she did. He just didn't want to do it now. He couldn't do it when he was so tied up with anxiety over whether or not Xemnas was going to come after him. He feared his former leader more than he feared anything, for several different reasons. He just needed to think now.

"I'm sorry," he said, not really sure what he was apologizing for. He stood up. "Thank you for the tea; and for listening to me. Goodnight." She walked with him to the door and stood in the frame as he left the cozy room. It was cold in the hallway, though he hadn't noticed before going into Belle's room. He shivered, looking forward to a warm bed and thick blankets. He started down the hallway, but Belle grabbed his arm before he could get too far.

"Please talk with him," she said. "I know he cares about you, and I know he'll listen. Just think about the rift you'll create if you don't patch up whatever dispute you've had now." Roxas agreed with her, but he didn't answer, merely pulling his arm from her gentle grasp and continuing his trek downstairs. He was tired, and whatever room he was going to do it in, he wanted to sleep.

He went into his and Sora's room, since he noticed the firelight from under Donald and Goofy's door was no longer present. He assumed they were asleep and so decided not to disturb them.

The fireplace was still roaring in his and Sora's room, however. He expected to find the brunet asleep, but he was very much awake, scribbling something on a piece of paper at the desk. Curiosity got the better of him and he made his way over to the other boy.

"What's that?" he asked. Sora jumped a little and looked over his shoulder.

"Oh…you're back, I was wondering where you were." Roxas was a little flattered that he'd noticed his absence. He peered once more at the paper and repeated his question.

"It's a note," he said. "It's for Riku." The sad expression on his face at the mention of his missing friend was heartbreaking. If Roxas had a heart to break, that is. Two other pages filled with text were set off to the side, ink drying.

"It's that long?" he asked. Sora nodded.

"I'm putting every detail about what's happened into this letter. That way when we do find him, I can accurately tell him everything that happened to me on my journey." He grinned. "Some of this stuff would make him shit his pants if he knew." The grin was false, but Roxas smiled with him anyway. He knew that Sora was dejected because he couldn't find his friend, and optimism was the only thing keeping him sane. He had to believe they would find Riku someday, because he needed a goal to work towards. Like when he had to rescue Kairi; Riku was the main objective this time, and Sora wouldn't stop until they found him.

"Why don't you write one?" Sora suggested, going back to his scribbling. "It's very therapeutic." Roxas wanted to; he wanted to write a note to Naminè or Axel, to thank them for a lot of things. Mostly, he wanted to say why he had left to Axel. The redhead deserved an explanation, especially since he obviously hadn't understood the need for it at the time; but he couldn't do it. If Sora read it, he would become suspicious.

Instead he went to sit on the carpet by the fire and stare into the swirling flames. The fire made him nostalgic, and thinking about Axel at all made him lonely. He knew the older boy was out there somewhere. Whatever side they were on, he still considered the pyro to be a friend. Maybe he was still under the Organization's influence, even after all this time.

Sora joined him after a while, note forgotten on the desk. Or maybe he just ran out of things to day. Either way, it didn't really matter. Roxas didn't fail to notice the way Sora kind of sat leaning away from him. He was sitting pretty far away as it was, but not far enough that anyone walking in would be suspicious of any bad blood between them. Still, the distance felt incredible from their position on the floor. Roxas knew there wasn't just a physical distance between them, either. What Belle had said was right; leaving this thing to stew between them would just create a chasm that would be harder to cross later. He couldn't leave things as they were. He opened his mouth to say something, but never got the chance.

"I'm sorry," Sora blurted out. Roxas blinked at him. The brunet had pulled his knees up to his chest, looking like he was trying to disappear into himself.

"I'm sorry for the way I treated you," he continued hesitantly. "And I'm sorry for…for kissing you." The last bit he mumbled, looking away.

"Can I ask why you did it?" Roxas said. He was admittedly curious as to the reason he would suddenly kiss him like that.

"I don't know," Sora answered honestly. "All I know is that ever since I saw you almost die in that cave, I've felt the overwhelming need to protect you. I couldn't do anything about the in the Land of Dragons, because there was nowhere else for you to go but with us. But here…" He sighed. "I started thinking about the Heartless killing you, and I got really scared. So I thought it would be better if you stayed behind and avoided fighting for a while. You have no idea how scared I was when the Beast hurt you. That gash in your stomach was…well, any normal person might have died from it."

Roxas' gaze moved back towards the fire. He already knew all this. Sora told him back in the Beast's room. He had also said he didn't think it was just that that made him want to protect him.

"What else?" Roxas asked patiently. Sora hesitated before continuing.

"I think…I like you. Like…that way." Roxas frowned at his other half, alarmed. The brunet still wasn't looking at him.

"I thought you liked Kairi," Roxas said without thinking. Luckily, Sora didn't seem to notice the slip.

"I thought so too," he said, "But I haven't seen her in almost two years…and then you come along and suddenly…" Sora sighed exasperatedly, running his hands through his hair in a fretful manner.

"My heart aches when I'm around you," he murmured. Despite the low tone, Roxas caught it. He did not, however, know how to respond.

"I see…" he eventually said. Could that perhaps be the answer to his own weird experiences regarding the Keyblade Master? He found he didn't really want to explore that tonight.

"Maybe we should sleep on this," Roxas said, standing up. He held out a hand to Sora, who took it reluctantly and allowed himself to be hauled to his feet.

The blonde found a few pairs of pyjamas in the closet and dressed in them, relieved. Given the circumstances, he didn't want to sleep in just his underwear, and sleeping in his clothes was decidedly uncomfortable. They were flannel and plaid, and surprisingly comfortable. They might have fit a former resident of the castle better, because they were a little too big on him, but nonetheless they felt nice against his skin. They must have been expensive.

He slipped into the right side of the bed, staring at the wall as Sora changed into another pair of pyjamas. He wasn't sure how to take the Keyblade Master's revelation. He still didn't know where he stood with the brunet and now he was even more confused about it. It was so unnecessarily complicated. Then again, nothing in his life had ever been simple, so he didn't know why he would expect it to suddenly change now.

The bed was so large that he didn't even feel any weight when Sora doused the fire and crawled into his side of the bed. He could feel his presence, though. The distance between them was, if anything, larger now. Maybe it was his refusal to talk or even properly think about this thing that caused it. Maybe he was just being a coward, like he had been back in the Organization. Sora had already taken the initiative and confessed, so why couldn't he even think about it? It was maddening, really.

Arms folding around his waist startled him, making him jump. He knew it was Sora; he could feel his presence. Still his heart beat wildly in fear.

"Sora?" he hissed.

"Yeah," Sora answered. "Sorry, I just…please just indulge me in this. It's cold, and, well…" he let the sentence hang, but Roxas knew what he meant. Surprisingly, he was completely comfortable pressed up against the Keyblade Master. It made him feel warm inside. When he fell asleep, he didn't even know that there was a smile on his face.


	10. Hercules I Part 1

AN: Well guys, you asked and I delivered! One new chapter, almost three years too late!

I'd like to take this opportunity to formally apologize to those people who were looking forward to this and were constantly disappointed by my lack of updates, and thank the people who held on this long. I never thought this story would be that loved, and I'm going to try my hardest in the future not to put you through that again.

That being said, my writing style has changed quite a bit since I stopped updating. I'd like to rewrite the earlier chapters, but that will have to come later, unfortunately. I will, however, let you know when I do.

So, will this new chapter live up to everyone's expectations? I guess we'll find out. Enjoy!

* * *

Roxas probably shouldn't have been so surprised when Sora pretended nothing had happened the next day. Well, technically, nothing _had_ happened. Hell, he still wasn't really sure if he _wanted_ something to happen. This situation was more than a little messed up; he wished he had someone who could help him. For the first time he could remember since leaving the Organization, he missed Axel.

"Hey…" Roxas' faltering syllable hung in the air as they dressed. Sora glanced briefly in his direction, the closest he'd come to meeting his eyes all morning. He had to say something about the awkwardness or it would crush him.

"Yeah?"

Roxas faltered at the look Sora gave him, as if they were complete strangers. All his resolve drained away. "I was just wondering…where we're going next?"

The brunet shrugged. "Wherever the Gummi ship takes us, I guess." Then he was gone, out the door to their small room, and Roxas was left alone.

He didn't understand why his other half was treating him this way. Sure, nothing had really happened, but he'd thought there was at least some progress. He'd thought they had become at least a little closer after last night. It felt like they'd taken a huge step forward, only to end up right back at the beginning again. No, worse than the beginning…Sora had at least looked at him then, and treated him like a friend. This was like if he found out Roxas was a Nobody.

Wait…

He couldn't have…could he? How would he have found out? Did Belle tell him? Could Xaldin have come back and said something? If Sora knew, why not simply confront him about it? Maybe he was waiting for the opportune time to strike and take him out. If that was the case, he couldn't stay here. He didn't make it this far just to get killed. He didn't know what he'd do now, but every instinct was screaming at him to run as far away as he could an never look back.

Roxas pulled on the rest of his clothes quickly and patted his pockets to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. His pouch of money was still there, along with his Cure orb and the Fire orb Sora had given him. He felt a little bad just taking that, but he might need it and he didn't want to just leave it behind in case Sora didn't come back for it.

He moved to the door and opened it to leave, but was shocked to find Goofy already standing there, hand raised as if he were going to knock. Did he already know? Was he here to keep him in one place while the others came to kill him? He liked Goofy, but if it came down to a fight, he wouldn't hold back.

"Oh…g'mornin, Roxas." He smiled toothily at the blond boy and Roxas relaxed just the slightest bit. It didn't seem like he knew. Maybe he had a chance after all.

"Good morning," he replied, forcing a smile. He glanced around Goofy to the empty foyer. Now or never. "Look, I'm kinda in a hurry. Can we talk later?"

"You goin' after Sora?" Before Roxas could even answer, Goofy continued, "He's been actin' real distant today. Don't take it too much ta heart, Sora's just like that sometimes. When he's thinkin' about somethin' real hard, ya can't get his attention for nothin'."

He wasn't sure if it was comforting or not that Sora was thinking so hard about him being a Nobody. A faint hope rose in him that the other boy perhaps didn't want to destroy him after all. But it was too slim a chance for him to lean all his hopes on. He had to do what was best for him, and what was best was getting the hell out of there before he ended up a shadowy wisp.

"Anyway, we're 'bout ta head off," Goofy said. Roxas started as he realized the dog-man had been speaking the whole time and he hadn't heard a word of it. "Thought I'd come an' fetch ya so ya didn't miss the ship." Goofy laughed his silly guffawing laugh and wrapped an arm tightly around Roxas' shoulders, leading him away. He struggled, but Goofy had a surprisingly strong grip and soon he found himself being all but shoved onto the Gummi ship.

His breath caught as the door hatch closed and the ship took off. This was it. He was trapped, completely at their mercy. Donald's suspicious glares, though no different than yesterday's, suddenly seemed to have new meaning as he practically hyperventilated in the middle of the ship. He took his seat when he started feeling lightheaded. Sora didn't notice, staring out the window with a blank look on his face. Only Goofy seemed concerned.

"You okay back there?" he asked, when Roxas looked as if he would pass out in his chair. The blond nodded, but he honestly felt like he was going to throw up. After a few minutes, he got up on shaky legs and made his way back to the small bedroom.

He sat on one of the thin cots and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. At this rate, he'd kill himself before they even had a chance to strike. He tried to comfort himself with the thought that they would probably not kill him in the Gummi ship. They'd probably wait until at least the next world to do it, and even then they'd be distracted by Heartless. He could escape there, plan his next move. He'd be lying if he said he wouldn't miss traveling with Sora, but there was little alternative.

He tried to sleep a little, but his eyes kept popping open at every little sound. He hadn't been this jumpy since his time at the Organization, when he'd been a new member and had no idea what was going on. Then again, he didn't really think he could compare not knowing what was happening to waiting to be killed. Two very different fears, and two very different situations.

It seemed like hours later when they touched down. It could have been the most barren, desolate world in the universe and it would have been the Promised Land to Roxas. His nerves were on edge as he exited the room, preparing for the worst…but there was nobody left in the cockpit. They must have already left the ship. That was good news for the blond. All the easier to sneak away.

All things considered, it was incredibly easy to escape. He had expected a guard, or at least for some sort of alarm to trip. Instead, he found himself in a dark and dingy cavern without another soul in sight. Not wanting to push his luck, he had made a mad dash for the first cave he saw, but he might as well have meandered over without a care in the world. Wherever Sora and the others had gone, they clearly weren't coming back anytime soon. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself as he made his way through the suddenly very foggy cave.

"Ahh!" Roxas cried out as his foot met air and he went tumbling down underneath the thick mist that he had previously thought was on the floor.

"Ouch," he groaned, sitting up slowly and trying to figure out which way was up. His head ached horribly, but other than that, he seemed to be okay. A cursory check revealed no broken limbs, at least, and nothing hurt when he stood. He raised his hand to his head and hissed in pain at the lump he found growing there. That was going to sting for a while.

His eyes swept the misty cavern, darker underneath the white blanket. At first, it seemed completely normal, dozens of caverns branching off from the larger one and going in who knew how many directions. All he had to do was pick one and be off.

But then he noticed that in the middle of the large cavern was a strangely shaped rock. It was too clean-cut, too precise to have been accidentally placed there. As he crept closer, he noticed almost perfectly square grey sides polished to a mirror shine. Carved on the very top, the only break in the pure, almost marble, stone, were the words: "To atone for my sins, I shall sleep for a hundred years."

Roxas ran his hand along the very edge of the stone and found that there was a very slight break: enough, in fact, to wedge his fingers underneath and pry the top off. He grunted as the stone slab came loose, pushing it up and over and wincing as it landed on the hard ground with a loud "wham!"

Shaking with either cold or fear, Roxas couldn't quite tell which one, he peeked over the edge of the opening he created. He felt his mouth grow dry at the sight of a man dressed in black clothing, with long black hair to match. He wasn't scared, not really, just sort of surprised. He'd never actually seen a dead body before. Nobodies didn't leave them behind.

Roxas stared at the body inside. It was almost fascinating, in that morbid sort of way where he couldn't look away. The man's face was so pale that his lips stood out in stark contrast, though they barely had any color themselves. His hands were covered in black gloves that looked like they were made of the same material as the rest of his outfit. Other than his clothing, he looked like one would expect a dead person to look.

That is, until his eyes opened.

Roxas let out a yell and would have run if his legs hadn't decided to tangle under him and send him sprawling to the ground. Now he was scared. He may not have been an expert on the subject, but he was pretty sure corpses didn't open their eyes. Or sit up inside the coffin. Or fix him with a dark stare that made him sure he was going to burst into flames at any minute.

The man looked no more alive than he had a few minutes ago, but here he was, looking around like he didn't have a care in the world. Roxas eyed the far tunnel, wondering if he could make it before the man decided to come after him. Before he could move, however, the man spoke.

"Who are you?" he asked in a low, gravelly voice that sounded like it hadn't been used in years. The blonde gaped up at him, his voice lost somewhere in his throat.

"Are you a resident of this world?" The man's voice was slow, patient, as if Roxas had no more intelligence than a teaspoon of salt. The blonde scowled at that, fear temporarily forgotten.

"My name is Roxas," he said. "And no, I don't live here." The man simply nodded as if he didn't care one way or another and glanced around the cavern. His eyes fell on the heavy stone lid laying a mere foot away.

"Why did you wake me up?" he asked without looking at the blonde. Roxas wasn't sure, but he could have sworn he heard a touch of sadness in the man's voice, as if he hadn't wanted to be released.

"You were sleeping?" he asked with a frown. "It looked more like you were dead."

The man chuckled, and this time Roxas was sure he heard the sadness in his voice. "That is probably a more accurate description...and much more than I deserve."

Roxas slowly rose to his feet and approached the stone coffin. The man turned and fixed him with a dark yet gentle stare, his brown eyes soft and questioning.

"What's your name?" the blonde asked.

The man frowned, as if trying to remember. "My name is...Vincent. Vincent Valentine."

"How long have you been here, Vincent?"

The man chuckled, only a touch of humor gracing the gesture. "It is impossible to tell...maybe a few days, maybe a hundred years."

"A hundred years?" Roxas exclaimed without thinking. "How could you lay here for a hundred years and not know it?"

Vincent didn't answer, instead laying back in his coffin and crossing his arms over his chest. "It matters not. Please, leave here and let me sleep."

"But...I don't understand." Roxas grasped at straws desperately, questions buzzing around his brain like so many angry bees. "How did you get here? Where are you from? You're not really dead, right? That would be...insane. I mean, dead men don't just get up and start talking like a normal person, right?"

Vincent stared up at him with those soft brown eyes. "Do you know a man named Cid Highwind?"

The question took him aback. "Wait...what?"

"Please, I must know if he is alive."

Cid Highwind...Roxas racked his memory. "I don't think...wait! Is he blonde, kinda scruffy, always smoking?"

"Yes." Vincent sat upright again, something akin to hope in his eyes. "So he has made it from our world? You have seen him?"

"Yeah, I think so...if it's the guy I'm thinking of." Roxas shrugged. "I don't know about making it off any worlds, but last I saw he was fine."

"That is good." Vincent sighed in relief. "That is a weight taken off my shoulders. Now I can sleep more peacefully."

"Wait!" Roxas put a hand on his shoulder before the other man could lay back down. "How do you know Cid? Did you two come from the same world?"

For a moment, it looked like Vincent would ignore him and simply go back to sleep. But then the other man opened his mouth and told him the whole story.

"Cid and I were both born on our world, though at different times. Our paths crossed by a twist of fate that most people know as...Sephiroth." Just the name sent shivers up Roxas' spine. He desperately wanted to ask who this Sephiroth person was, but he didn't want to interrupt Vincent now that he was finally getting some answers. The man continued:

"Cid and I were part of a team that was hell-bent on bringing Sephiroth down. He wanted to do horrible things to innocent people. In the end, he nearly succeeded, until another twist of fate was thrust upon our world.

"The Heartless had always been a part of our world, though most people just thought they were simple monsters and ignored them. Our ignoring them turned out to be both a blessing and a curse, for when Sephiroth was poised to destroy our world and we could do nothing to stop him, they chose that moment to strike.

"We could do nothing to stop the Heartless; they were too strong and we were still far too weak. Our only comfort is that Sephiroth was swallowed up along with our world. Unfortunately, so was I...but not without helping my comrades to safety. Cid was the only one whose fate I was unsure of...and I am glad that he has found his own way to safety."

"What world did you live on?" Roxas asked unable to keep from blurting out the question.

"We knew it only as 'The Planet.' It does not matter anyway...any trace of it is surely long gone by now." A small smile graced Vincent's face as he lay back down in his coffin. "I will have good dreams now that I know that only I was sacrificed in the destruction of our planet."

"Wait, please! Why don't...why don't you come with me?" Roxas had so many more questions, he was burning with them. But he couldn't stay here much longer and risk being found. Besides, he felt a sort of kinship with this man who seemed so lost. He didn't want to just leave him behind in this horrible place.

"I do not belong amongst the living anymore."

"But...but you could see Cid again!" Roxas was grasping at straws now, desperate to get Vincent to see reason. "Don't you want to see him with your own eyes, to know he's really alive?"

"I do not sense dishonesty within you. I trust that what you say is true."

"But..."

"Roxas," Vincent said softly, his eyes still closed, "Please. There is no way for me to leave this place now. I am neither dead nor alive, and do not belong in either world. Please do not try to force me to become a part of it."

Roxas wanted to argue, to convince this man to leave with him. He would have, too, would have spent hours at that coffin trying to get him to see reason, had he not heard voice coming from the cavern entrance.

He couldn't quite make them out, but something inside told him it was Sora. He couldn't wait around here any longer. He had to go. With one last sad glance at the stone coffin where Vincent lay so peacefully, the blonde took off down one of the corridors as fast as his legs would take him.


End file.
